0 Comments When the Scorpio was launched in 2002, we called it the biggest step forward for Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) in 50 years, and it certainly was, leapfrogging the brand into a new era of products. Since then, the company has gone from being a rural player to more of a mainstream one, with a string of contemporary products which were a mix of hits and misses. But, more importantly, the success of the Scorpio gave M&M the confidence to embark on a spate of global acquisitions and alliances, and venture into new territory like two-wheelers and M&HCVs. But did the company spread itself too thin? Were these new acquisitions a distraction from its core business? That’s the current company view, after the old guard handed the baton over to new leadership that is taking a radically different approach. Non-core businesses are being shed to concentrate purely on what made Mahindra great in the first place – full-blown SUVs.
Mahindra XUV500, as we know it today, will soon be replaced by the
XUV700 (W601), leaving many speculating on what would become of the XUV500 badge. Mahindra did offer a cryptic response, saying it would ‘temporarily be discontinued’, but there’s more to it than what meets the eye. Sources within the company now tell us that Mahindra is, in fact, saving the name for an all-new, smaller SUV that will be a direct rival for the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos.
New XUV500 launch expected in early 2024
Will sit between the XUV300 and XUV700
Expected to cost Rs 10-17 lakh, ex showroom