Mahindra ready with sub 2000cc diesel engine for Scorpio and XUV500 which will be launched within the next month to beat the diesel vehicle ban in Delhi
Due to rising pollution problems in the capital, Supreme Court has currently suspended registration of diesel cars carrying 2000cc+ diesel engine under the hood. This move has taken a toll on the sales of premium cars and also SUVs manufactured by Mahindra and Tata Motors. The largest utility vehicle maker, Mahindra is always ready with alternate plan of actions if there are obstacles in the sales of their vehicles. This time around, the Indian automaker has come up with a 1.9-litre diesel engine for the XUV500 and Scorpio in a bid to continue their sales in Delhi.
Mahindra has worked on the smaller version of the 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine and has downsized it to 1.9-litre, bringing it within the limit set by the court. ARAI has approved a Scorpio prototype powered by the downsized engine that will be launched in a few weeks. Starting from the next month, the carmaker will also be rolling out the XUV500 with the same engine and both these models will be on sale across the country. The mHawk engine has been downsized in-house while the revised mapping has been outsourced to a supplier.
The smaller diesel engine is said to have much lesser power output but the torque will remain similar to the 2.2-litre oil burner. Mahindra is prepared for all the eventualities since they are also preparing for a comprehensive petrol engine lineup. The Mahindra KUV100 that has been launched today gets a new mFalcon 1.2-litre petrol engine for the first time in the company’s lineup. It is based on modular engine platforms that can get bigger displacement, which will be provided with their future and existing vehicles.
The popular vehicles of Mahindra include XUV500, Scorpio, Bolero, Xylo and Thar and all of these get 2000cc+ diesel engines, which is something to worry for their sales in the capital. Delhi NCR contributes to only 4 percent of Mahindra’s passenger vehicle sales but with the downsized diesel engine the automaker is getting prepared for the future. We should expect the less powerful Scorpio and XUV500 to get more affordable. We also feel that Mahindra’s Delhi NCR customers might regret buying 1.9-litre Scorpio and XUV500 now if the ban gets over in a few days.
Source – TheEconomicTimes.com
