Motorbash believe that they've caught the first test mule of a large Mahindra bus that would be launched through the company Mahindra Trucks and Buses Limited (MTBL) that operates a manufacturing plant in Chakan (Pune), not far from where this vehicle was photographed.
Mahindra's bus lineup, branded Tourister, is comprised of four buses that have a seating capacity of 16, 25, 32 and 40 passengers. These buses are available with diesel engines that displace 2.5-liters, 2.6-liters and 3.3-liters. A CNG variant, in BS4 spec, is also available on the 25 seater. The AC bus that Motorbash has spied would be positioned above the Tourister range, perhaps in a different family.
The vehicle is a 40 seater with an option of semi-recline seats and an air suspension. Currently there are no other details available, but we have Motorbash claiming a 7.2-liter Navistar engine that can produce 202hp and offer a peak torque of 880Nm, offered on the Traco range, could be used on this offering.
The large bus would compete with offerings from Ashok Leyland, Volvo, Scania, Mercedes Benz and Tata Motors, though understandably priced lower relative to foreign competitors.
[Source - Motorbash.com]
