The Mahindra TUV300 has been positioned as a rugged off-roader and will get a new downsized diesel engine likely to displace 1500cc with three-cylinders.
Bringing its first of many compact SUVs to the market, Mahindra recently unveiled the TUV300 in sketches ahead of the launch scheduled around mid-September this year. The company refrains from calling the TUV a compact SUV though and instead is calling it a true blue SUV where the ‘T’ stands for Tough. Apart from being an extremely important product in the domestic market, the automaker is eyeing newer markets overseas as well and is working on the Left Hand Drive (LHD) version of the TUV300. The battle tank inspired rugged SUV will also be a seven seater with jump seats likely in the third row.
The Mahindra TUV300 has been largely engineered at the company’s Research Valley in Chennai with inputs coming from Pininfarina. The SUV will be powered by a downsized version of the mHawk diesel engine that has been badged as the mHawk 80 for the TUV, and is expected to be 1.5-litre 3-cylinder motor. When the initial spy shots emerged last year, the model with its flat styling was considered to be a potential replacement to the ageing Bolero. Nonetheless, the company confirmed that the TUV300 is based on an all new platform and will be positioned separately from the rapidly selling Bolero.
For international markets, Mahindra is working to meet the stringent emission norms and increase the engine options on the TUV300. The company will commence exports for overseas markets from the second half of next year. The new model plays a crucial role in the automaker’s lineup as it will be a volume spinner for the largely utility vehicle maker. At present, Mahindra contributes 40 percent to the utility vehicle space in the country. With the positioning of the TUV300 as a rugged off-roader, Mahindra will position its other compact SUV codenamed S101 at the other end of the spectrum which will be a soft-roader.
