IndianAutosBlog.com asked its readers questions they need answers for right before launch of the XUV500. Daylight images, brochure and related details are coming in a while before which we want to put out a post consisting of all the answers you want to hear.
We were not able to fit in all the questions due to Mr Wadhera’s tight schedule. We will get the reserved questions answered during our next interaction with Mr Wadhera and other head honchos of the Mahindra Automotive sector.
We spoke to Mr Rajan Wadhera, Chief Executive Technology, Product Development and Sourcing and member of the Group Executive Board to field IAB’s questions. For those in the dark, Mr Wadhera is the captain of the ship (sans the body roll and sail) called XUV500.
When are we going to see technology transfer from REVA (an important part of the Mahindra Group) on to products like the XUV500?
REVA has technology of electric powertrain, they don’t have technology of vehicle building. So vehicle building technology is what we will give them. Electric powertrain from REVA which is motor, controller and battery integration is something that will come into our products..there is already work in progress.
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Polaris Industries forayed into the Indian market with its range of All-Terrain Vehicles with the inauguration of dealerships in New Delhi followed by Ahmedabad last month and today afternoon in Chennai.
Polaris’ exclusive Chennai dealer MPL Adventure Sports Vehicles Pvt Limited is bullish about the combination of different customer needs and conducive landscapes in Tamil Nadu for its model range.
Who is Polaris? Haven’t I seen this brand somewhere?
Polaris is a global leader in off-road vehicles with over 57 years of experience in designing and manufacturing them. Their operations kicked-off with snowmobiles and today vehicles for every kind of customer is being made in Minnesota, North America. Earlier in 2011, they acquired Indian Motorcycles, America’s first motorcycle company.
You would have seen the brand on the boundary billboards during India’s tour of West Indies a few months back. The company also aired teasers on television during the same tournament.
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The cherry of the eye for Chevy – the Beat EV, now will have to face tough competition from the German czar as VW prepares its contender – the e-Up! Envisioned on the Up! platform, the e-Up! concept is a glimpse into the future EV projects of VW.
This project came into limelight at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show where VW showcased the first e-Up! concept. Since then a lot of changes have been made to the design and technology. Finally, at 2011 Frankfurt motorshow, VW presented a near production version of the e-Up! all set to go in production in 2013.
To make the e-Up! look futuristic and to separate it from the pack, VW has given it an arc-shaped layout of the LED daytime. Rest of all the design details remain pretty much same as the standard Up! The e-Up! is powered by an electric motor electric motor which generates peak horse power of 80 hp and has a high torque of 210Nm.
The e-Up! has a maximum speed of 135 kms/hr. The battery capacity is 18kWh which enables the e-Up! to travel a maximum distance of about 150km. Because the batteries are located in the underbody of the Up!, this frees up a lot of boot space. The e-Up! has a competent potential to become your city runabout.
Have you have been hiding under a rock and had no access to IAB? Then you might not have heard about the VW Up – the cheapest hatchback from VW about to make an India debut in 2012. However, it may not be the cheapest hatchback from the VW group if Skoda India has its way.
The Czech manufacturer has changed the grill and slapped a winged arrow badge on the VW Up! to make a whole new car – the Skoda Citigo – possibly Skoda India’s cheapest entrant in Indian auto market. However, don’t expect any ‘Vision D’ or ‘Mission L’ styling on the Citigo. As the chief USP of the Citigo is a cheap city runabout, Skoda has tried to keep the development cost as little as possible. Hence they haven’t played around much with the Up. Its dimensions, weight, height and space are the same as the VW Up.
The customers will have a choice of two 1.0-liter three-cylinder petrol engines with 59 hp and 75 hp of power output respectively. Skoda is quoting fuel efficiency figures of close to 26 kmpl. The Citigo has a top speed of 170 km/hr.
Being a Skoda, the Citigo will be launched in the home market (Czech Republic) by the end of this year. Later, it will make its pan European debut by 2012.
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Updates resume on IndianAutosBlog.com. We’ve attended four press conferences in three days, spoken to Mahindra to get questions of our readers answered, driven the XUV500 briefly, spied a test mule and seen a facelift. We’re going to post on interesting topics, spyshots, renderings and images today. Belt up for the ride!
The first fruit from the Nissan-Ashok Leyland JV has ripened and is now ready to be picked. Ashok Leyland has finally launched its flagship LCV Dost as a price of Rs. 3.79 lakhs to Rs. 4.37 lakhs (ex-showroom – Mumbai). IAB was keenly following the development of the DOST ever since the project began. A lot of our loyal readers have spotted the Dost in its various avatars religiously doing its testing rounds.
The Dost has a payload capacity of 1.25 tones and is powered by a 1.5 litre, 3 pot, common rail TDCR generating 55 bhp and 150 NM of torque. It is mated to a 5 speed manual transmission. Its turning radius is 4.8 m, and it has special features such as front Transverse leaf suspension, Load Sensing Proportioning Valve (LSPV) technology measures the weight on the load body and applies the brake force accordingly. It will be offered in BS3 and BS4 versions each having 3 different variants such as:
- base model with manual steering
- mid model with power steering
- top-end model hosting luxuries like air conditioning, power steering and attractive dual tone interiors
The prospective customers can choose from three colours: white, beige and blue. Adding to that Ashok Leyland will offer Ready-to-Use Vehicles (RUVs) on the Dost platform for various applications such as Refrigerated containers, Steel containers, Ambulance, Aluminium Fixed Side Decks and Service-At-Site vehicles from the date of launch.
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Update – XUV500 Presentation slides from the launch posted after the break
Mahindra has just announced the prices of its premium SUV XUV500 and the prices are not premium. (ex-showroom Delhi).
W6 – 10.8 lakh
W8 – 11.95 lakh
ARAI fuel economy – 15.1kmpl
2.2 liter CRDI diesel 140hp and 330Nm
New concept at workshops called Relationship Managers who are Service adviser replacements with a different profile
At dealerships Experience executive have replaced sales executive who are trained and developed to provide unique experience
click through to see the image slideshow
Mahindra has just unveiled the XUV500 here in Pune. We’re posting a batch of high resolution shots for your viewing pleasure. Mahindra is tight lipped about the specifications and the only piece of info we are able to share is the W prefix in the variant nomenclature. The images here are of the W8 variant.
The interiors in first glance (under flood lights) look upmarket. The interior quality is a light year ahead of the Scorpio’s. The car is very spacious and the styling is the USP no doubt. Look at the way the tail lamp claws into the rear wings. The floating grille might not be to everyone’s taste but the seat backs and color scheme bring to mind SUVs from two segments above. Remember that the XUV will sit above the Scorpio meaning the starting price could be above 12 lakh rupees.
This is the sort of giant leap that Tata took with the Aria, but due to its price it didn’t give international brands too many headaches.
Mahindra will discuss the XUV500 in detail tomorrow morning so until then we have to wait. Mahindra will anounce the prices and provide the other details in the same event.
Speaking to a packed house of reporters and automotive experts, Dr Goenka said with this product they are taking Mahindra’s offering to a new plane. A total of 200 engineers toiled for 4 years at the MRV facility in Chennai.
An emotional Mr Mahindra said they were building another cult brand with this launch. He said the XUV’s characteristics are the embodiment of a Cheetah’s – Elegance, Style, Agility and Relentlesness.
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