The Mahindra S101 is now officially called the KUV100 that will be the smallest UV to come from the automaker and is positioned against a host of hatchbacks in the country.
Going official about the S101 (codename), Mahindra has finally provided the first details of its smallest offering yet that has been christened as the KUV100. Here, KUV stands for Kool Utility Vehicle which better describes the automaker’s idea of a small yet utilitarian model and also helps it differentiate better with the flagship XUV500. Revealed in sketches and engine specifications, the automaker has promised that the KUV100 will be officially launched on 15th January next year.
Developed at Mahindra Research Valley, the KUV100 has been completely designed and developed in-house. A lot of interior engineering work has been done by Korean firm LG Engineering. The automaker has invested Rs. 500 crores for the design, development and manufacturing of the family of engines and will be produced at the automaker’s Chakan facility. Starting with the petrol motor, the unit is christened as mFalcon G80 and is a 1.2-litre dual VVT, all-aluminium unit that gets low friction, advanced technologies and high power density. In terms of power, the motor is tuned to produce 82 BHP at 5500 RPM and 114 Nm of torque available between 3500-3600 RPM, it is a BSIV compliant unit.
Also new is the 1.2-litre mFalcon D75 diesel engine that will power the Mahindra KUV100 with the same attributes as the petrol but with higher low-end torque. The turbocharged CRDe diesel is tuned to produce 77 BHP at 3750 RPM and 190 Nm of torque between 1750-2250 RPM. A 5-speed manual gearbox is a given on both the engines while there are no plans to launch an AMT at present. The Falcon series engines use one of the smallest turbos in the world as well as the most compact EPS. Aesthetically, the KUV100 is described as cool and young by the automaker with the accentuated wheel arches, sweptback headlamps, rugged bumpers keeping the style quotient high.
The Mahindra KUV100 should certainly appeal to a younger demographic who appreciate the rugged body style and practical dimensions of a hatchback. The car gets ABS as standard on all variants ranging from the K2 to K8 while dual front airbags will be optional on all variants except the top most variant where they will be standard. The KUV100 will be offered in seven colour options. Mahindra has also confirmed that bookings for the KUV100 will commence from tomorrow across dealerships in the country while actor Varun Dhawan has been roped in as the brand ambassador for the new model.
