It looks like M&M isn’t taking any chances with the Mini Xylo. The Mini Xylo has been on test for donkey’s years now in India. However, our friends at WorldCarFans have spotted a lightly camouflaged test mule near northern Europe undergoing winter testing.
Generally, Indian manufacturers such as Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Force Motors et al do their winter testing in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. However, this Indian manufacturer has gone much further for winter testing.
Ssangyong has started retailing a special edition Korando LE in the UK market. It stands apart from the usual variants through 18 inch bespoke alloy wheels, rear spoiler and privacy glass.
Interior additions such as heated front seats, leather trimmed steering wheel and gear lever, parking sensors and cruise control beef up not just looks alone but also value.
Three colors the Mahindra-owned Korean auto maker offer on the limited edition model are White, Red and Black. Power is derived from a 2L turbodiesel mill producing a peak power 173bhp and 360Nm of peak torque.
Mahindra exhibited the Rexton at the Delhi Auto Expo and we weren’t the only ones who felt the need for a redesign. The Rexton joining hands with the Korando will sit above the XUV500. Mahindra has announced that the Rexton’s launch will be conducted by November 2012.
Examining its ecosystem, the competition is very stiff and unforgiving. As many of the Rexton’s rivals are either CBU or CKD models, they the latest in terms of design, technology and features.
After showing you spyshots of the refreshed Xylo testing near Pune and presenting Shoeb’s speculative rendering, today we bring you images of the Xylo facelift completely uncamouflaged, thanks to user Dieseling from Team-BHP.com.
The front-end has gone through a sea of change and feels like some of the XUV500′s design language has rubbed off on the Xylo’s design team.
The transformation starts at the hood – redesigned using creases relocating to the sides. The bulge along the bonnet’s center has been flattened out. Subtle lines flow towards the center from either corners of the windshield.
The Xylo’s shiny grille takes a more traditional approach sitting on the same level as the headlamps. It replaces the body-colored grille design that forms the shape of an arch. A slim louvre separates the grille and bumper.
Indian Autos Blog fan Pappu Hatela mailed us a bunch of spyshots of the mini Xylo he snapped during its tests in Bangalore. Unlike its eight-seat sibling, the mini Xylo is going to be marketed as a junior SUV. The introduction is just months away now, by the festival season the launch will unfold.
We’re informed by sources that engineers are told to work on the powertrain to cut out vibration and noise after the management was unsatisfied with the results during evaluations.
We’ve been treated to interesting advertising concepts from Mahindra over the last few years. In 2010 they took a dig at the Tata Ace and used an AutoBot character to market the Maxximo as an advanced and sophisticated goods carrier. The background music, visuals of the Scorpio bashing the sand dunes and the stylish characters in the Scorpio’s “nothing else will do” ad broadcasted a high-energy and ambitious product.
Another recent example we liked was of the new Mahindra Bolero with a trained dog in the lead role. It was a good attempt to mix humor and tell viewers the kind of person they’d want to see buy their product.
Mahindra continues to diversify using its existing portfolio. First there was Scorpio and then came the Scorpio Getaway. The Bolero also went through the operation to make the Bolero pick up.
There are two versions of the Xylo pickup, one for the domestic market and another for the export markets. Our pals at Motorbeam spied a double cab pickup version of the Mahindra Xylo testing on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. It has a much better road presence thanks to a more uniform construction, chrome inserts, load bay accentuated with a stroke over the wheel arch and what we’d call designer tail lamps considering this vehicle is used to haul cement bags and water cans.
Mahindra’s first global SUV received a phenomenal response from the Indian audience. As a result of this phenomenal, the company faces an acute shortage of capacity. The problem becomes more pressing as Mahindra plans to launch the SUV in several international markets very soon.
M&M has already launched the XUV500 in South Africa but the company is keen on expanding in Europe and Australia.
Pravin Shah, chief executive of international operations -
We plan to launch the XUV500 in Australia by the end of the current financial year. Over the next three months, the vehicle would make its debut in markets across Europe, South and Central America.
To fuel those ambitions, M&M has started to ramp up capacity at their Chakan plant in Pune. Currently, the plant churns 110 units every day and this would be increased to 160 units by April. The added production would be sufficient to meet demand in both domestic and overseas markets for the time being.
