A slew of new compact SUV concepts that will be offered with BEV as well as ICE powertrains have been revealed by the ambitious Indian auto maker Mahindra.
The four concepts – the Vision.T, Vision.SXT, Vision.X and Vision.S – were all unveiled at a Mahindra special event in Mumbai to coincide with Indian independence day last Friday.
They are all were based on a flexible new monocoque platform dubbed NU_IQ that will allow petrol, diesel, hybrid and BEV powertrains.
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Given the importance of Australia to the SUV and ute-maker’s global ambitions – it’s been on-sale here for 20 years – all four will almost certainly be headed for Australia once production begins from 2027.
While there is a great deal of off-road toughness suggested by the styling of the T, SXT and S, the reality is all four models are soft-roaders that will be offered predominantly as front-wheel drive with all-wheel drive as an option (for both ICE and BEV).
That flies in the face of Mahindra’s 4×4/ladder frame history, but these vehicles are intended to break the brand into new left- and right-hand drive markets where soft-roaders rather than 4x4s are bigger sellers.
No details of powertrains for the four production versions of the concepts were revealed at the presentation, but Mahindra does source different aspects of its powertrains for its bespoke BE 6e and XEV 9e bespoke EVs from Volkswagen, French Supplier Valeo and BYD.
These BEVs have already been forecast for Australia.
Where the four new concepts actually fit in the Mahindra line-up wasn’t actually spelled out last Friday, but the Indian media has been speculating in overdrive.
The T wagon and SXT open-back SUVs are expected to slot between the compact XUV3XO and medium XUV700 soft-roader SUVs. They could be called Thar Sport, the Thar being a hard-core 4×4 that Mahindra’s sold for decades.
The Vision.S is being presented as a smaller urban-friendly spin-off from the Scorpio 4×4, or as a potential replacement for an SUV called the Bolero not sold in Australia.
The Vision.X could be a direct replacement for the XUV3XO that’s recently gone on-sale in Australia. It is a facelift of a model that’s been around in India since 2019 first known as the XUV300.
What detail offered on the day primarily focussed on the NU_IQ platform and claims of global leadership. Mahindra hinted that BMW and Audi platforms were the benchmark.
NU_IQ caters for overall lengths from 3990mm to 4320mm and Mahindra claims it offers class-leading cabin space. The wheelbase is quoted at a standard 2665mm to ensure battery packs fit in EV versions. Front overhangs vary from 745mm-850mm and rear overhangs from 580-805mm.
Features of NU_IQ highlighted by Mahindra include the highest command seating position in-class, a flat floor for ICE as well as EV models, a new-generation operation system dubbed NU_UX, a five-link independent rear suspension with new ‘Davinci’ adaptive shock absorbers all-round and variable ratio steering.
Mahindra guaranteed NU_IQ Models would meet five star ANCAP safety, as well as G-NCAP and E-NCAP. Structural safety features include what Mahindra calls a Twin-Trident Optimized load path and a Uni-Ring unified hotformed door ring.
Despite the soft-roader underpinnings, key measurements include off-road friendly 227mm round clearance, 28 degree approach angle, 28.2 degree ramp over angle, 34.9 degree departure angle and a 10.5m turning circle. Maximum tyre size is 760mm.
Mahindra also claims NU_IQ is its stiffest platform and that it weighs less than key global rivals.
Inside, Mahindra has promised to bring back more buttons for basic operations, alongside the now requisite digital screens. Luggage capacity was quoted at up to 644 litres behind row 2 to the roof and 450 litres to the top of the back seat.
