Update - R Devakumar of Team-BHP has spotted the S201 on test in Chennai. The Tivoli-based SUV, with a heavily modified body to conform to sub-4m norms and Mahindra's design identity, will launch late next year.
Earlier this year, it was reported that the Mahindra would offer the S201 with a 1.6-litre diesel engine. According to a fresh report from Autocar India, the Mahindra S201 will have 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engine options.
On the sidelines of the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, Rajan Wadhera, EVP, R&D and Global Product Development, Mahindra & Mahindra, said: “The S201 will be powered by state-of-the-art petrol and diesel engines developed in-house, which will give us best-in-class performance.” “I am pretty excited with the 1.2 petrol which will come with turbocharging and direct injection,” Wadhera added.
The Mahindra S201’s petrol engine is a turbocharged version of the Mahindra KUV100’s G80 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit. As stated above, it features direct injection. It will produce a maximum power of around 140 hp. Mahindra is developing another turbocharged version of the G80 engine but without direct injection. This unit will find its place in future unspecified Mahindra models.
Mahindra has downsized the 1.6-litre four-cylinder diesel engine it co-developed with SsangYong to 1.5-litre. The report says that the company took this step to meet the ‘compact car’ criteria. To avoid attracting the highest rate of GST, the company has kept the length to under 4 metres. The SsangYong Tivoli, in comparison, is 4,195 mm long. Back to the downsized diesel engine, it could develop as much as 125 hp. The Mahindra U321 will have the original, 1.6-litre version, though.
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Mahindra will launch the SsangYong X100 platform-based Mahindra S201 in India in H2 FY19 (October 2018-March 2019). The shortened, Mahindra-badged version will feature a different grille to have a family face, but carry over most of the interior elements from the SsangYong Tivoli. Its chief rivals would be the Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and the Maruti Vitara Brezza.
[Source: Autocar India & Team-BHP.com]
