The S101 will be Mahindra’s most affordable UV to go on sale with a starting price expected to be around Rs. 4 lakhs (ex-showroom) and will rival B-segment hatchbacks.
FY2016 is certainly one of the most ambitious years for Mahindra’s automotive sector with the company venturing into newer segments in the Indian auto market. The extensively tested vehicles, the TUV300 and Mojo (Mahindra 2-Wheelers) finally shed their camouflage making it to showrooms; while the S101 (codename and could be called XUV100) will be up next and is expected to be launched by the end of the current fiscal. Till then though the S101 continues to take shape under vinyls and was recently caught testing during one of its runs.
Snapped by our readers Rishath Suresh and Amey Desai at different locations in the country, the Mahindra S101 has reached its production stage and the fully formed exterior panels vouch for the same. The S101 which is a crossover of sorts between a hatchback and an SUV, will be Mahindra’s entry-level model in the country and will help them get the volumes. The XUV100 is benchmarked against the Maruti Wagon R in the segment.
The front fascia gets all the masculine elements with the Range Rover Evoque like grille and bonnet, sporty bumper and the nearly square wheels arches. The side profile is more hatch like with the contoured A-pillar and curved roofline. The rear will be like a small car itself with a vertically openable tailgate, roof spoiler and small wraparound tail lights. On the inside, the bench style front seat is likely to make it on the S101 and the dashboard integrated gearshift will help maximise space.
If the TUV300 was anything to go by, we hope to see a neatly designed interior with improved levels of quality from Mahindra. It was recently reported that the automaker has benchmarked the Maruti Wagon R as the primary rival for the S101 and as a result pricing will be extremely competitive, expected to start at around Rs. 4 lakhs (ex-showroom). The real show stealer though will be the new 1.2-litre petrol motor that is being developed in collaboration with SsangYong and will power the model in addition to the TUV’s 1.5-litre three-cylinder diesel mill. An AMT unit will also keep things interesting.
