6-speed AT confirmed for Mahindra's flagship offering within its own brand.
The 2015 Mahindra XUV500 (facelift) which went on sale in India this week will launch in the Australian market - one of the several export markets for the XUV500 - in the last quarter of this year, Mahindra Australia marketing manager James Halliwell told CarAdvice.
The more interesting bit of news is that Mr. Halliwell told the publication that an automatic variant on the XUV500 will launch in Australia in the second quarter of 2016, fueling past reports which expected the XUV500 AT this financial year. The official confirmed a 6-speed automatic transmission for the SUV.
According to past reports, the XUV500 will be endowed the same 6-speed AT which is seen on the Ssangyong Tivoli. This Aisin-developed gearbox will be tuned to handle the 330 Nm torque of the XUV500, though it remains to be seen if Mahindra offers both drivetrains for this transmission (FWD and AWD).
Engineers have installed a new ECU on the XUV500 facelift, which increases fuel efficiency from 15.1 km/l to 16 km/l. Further, an ESP with rollover mitigation is also seen on the facelifted model.
Also read: Mahindra considering Ssangyong Tivoli for India, could get the 1.5L diesel engine
At the 2015 XUV500's Indian launch, Mr. Pravin Shah, President & Chief Executive of the Mahindra Automotive Sector, confirmed to Indian Autos Blog that the company will introduce the AT variant, as well as a Hybrid version which was previewed by way of the XUV500 Hybrid concept at the Auto Expo 2014.
[Source - CarAdvice]
