Mahindra and Mahindra’s XUV500 which has been a hit till now among the customers, might not hit the roads with automatic transmission before 2014. The company is yet to zero down on the supplier for its automatic transmission. Even if it does select one, it would take a minimum of two years for the company to do all the testing and the validations. Currently, Mahindra already has enough inventories of DSI automatic transmissions which it uses for its Scorpio. However, the DSI automatic transmission cannot be used for XUV500 as it cannot fit because of the transverse layout of the powertrain. Thus, the only option for the company is to look for a new automatic transmission.
The Korean subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra, Ssangyong Motor, is in talks with Hyundai for supply of automatic transmissions for its range of products. Apparently, Ssangyong has shown such great involvement as it itself needs automatic transmission units for its product as there has been a growing demand for such vehicles. Currently, Hyundai’s portfolio of automatic transmission consists of a six-speed 2WD automatic transmission and a hybrid continuously variable transmission (CVT). Recently, it also debuted its eight-speed transmission. However, it is still not clear which of these would be shortlisted for XUV500, though the six-speed unit could be a likely winner.
Mahindra XUV500, which bagged a 4-star rating by ANCAP, is powered by a 2179 cc, mhawk 140 diesel engine which is mated to six-speed manual transmission. It produced a peak power output of 140 BHP at 3750 RPM and a peak torque of 330 Nm at 1600 RPM. XUV500 witnessed a huge demand as soon as it was rolled out into the market and the company had to stall bookings within few days of the launch.
Source – Autocar India
