Mahindra SsangYong are developing two new vehicle architectures including new models for the Indian and North American markets.
During the 2016 Paris Motor Show, Mahindra SsangYong revealed some developments that the two have been working on since the Indian automaker acquired the South Korean SUV maker. After developing the much needed new range of petrol engine in partnership with SsangYong, the alliance is working on developing two new vehicle architectures that will help both the automakers to enter new segments, markets and cut development costs.
They are developing two SUV platforms, one of them is based on the SsangYong Tivoli while the other is likely to be a global 7-seater SUV. The compact SUV, based on the Tivoli’s platform will be measuring sub 4-meter in length to get tax benefits in India. The second model is a Toyota Fortuner rival which is expected to become Mahindra’s flagship SUV sitting above the XUV500 in their lineup.
The SsangYong version of the larger SUV will make its debut in the North American markets by 2020. Top executives of the South Korean brand commented that the partnership has led to a steep fall in the costs. They also spoke of sharing the Tivoli platform for the Indian market and the new D segment SUV and van for the North American markets.
Through joint development the automaker is expected to reduce its expenditure from about $300-400 million to about $250 million. Mahindra also plans to spend about $700 million over the next three to four years to bring out a new model every year.By 2019, SsangYong plans to introduce the next generation of its current lineup which includes the Rexton, Korando and the Korando pickup truck.
The company is considering to fully utilise its capacity of 2.5 lakh units by 2019. For meeting the above targets, it is eyeing a tie up with a Chinese manufacturer. SsangYong is also looking to finalise its future plans which includes development of connected vehicles and meeting the EU wide emission norms applicable from 2020.
The car manufacturer considers EV vehicles also as an important aspect and is expected to utilise the inputs from the IT arm of Mahindra, namely Tech Mahindra for future developments. SsangYong has already taken small steps towards connected vehicle by introducing features like autonomous sensor braking in the new Tivoli.
Mahindra SsangYong
– New compact SUV for India expected underpinned by Tivoli platform
– Both the carmakers are developing 7-seater flagship for Mahindra
– The partnership will help them save development and production costs
Source – ETAuto.com