In a bid to tackle the NGT ban and also ensure competitiveness with demand shifting away from diesel, Mahindra has decided to offer a petrol variant on all its vehicles from 2018.
The Indian car market is changing yet again, demand is shifting away from diesels and petrol is yet again becoming popular. The reason for petrol gaining popularity is multi-fold. One is the reduced price different between petrol and diesel fuel post the deregulation and second is the increased efficiency of petrol cars thanks to lighter bodyweight and turbocharging.
Mahindra has been a diesel car manufacturer and till the launch of the KUV100, it had no petrol model on sale. But with demand shifting and the NGT creating trouble for diesel car makers, Mahindra has decided to equip all its vehicles with a petrol engine option by 2018. This will ensure that all its cars can be sold without any ban creating uncertainty.
Mahindra is developing two petrol engines in collaboration with SsangYong, a company it bought earlier this decade. They already have the 1.2-litre petrol mill which powers the KUV100 and accounts for 50% of its sales. 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre petrol engines are being developed which will power rest of the cars in Mahindra’s lineup. The petrol models will be cheaper than the diesels by a significant amount.
All Mahindra Vehicles To Have Petrol Variant
– Only the KUV100 is equipped with a petrol engine in Mahindra’s lineup
– Mahindra plans to equip all its cars with a petrol engine
– Having a petrol engine for all models makes it easier to address export market needs
Source – AutocarPro.in