The largest utility vehicle maker in the country, Mahindra & Mahindra announced that after the success story of its latest launch, the XUV500 in the Indian market, the company is planning to venture out to the international markets with the same product. As a part of that, they are going to target the European market at the start. The possible pricing of this model in the European market has not been disclosed still. However, as seen in the Indian market, Mahindra is definitely going to keep it priced low to gain a good amount of market share. With some expected low pricing, the Mahindra XUV500 can possibly go in head to head competition with the Renault Duster being sold in the country.
Renault sells the Duster in the European market under the brand name of Dacia. Spain is going to be first country to witness the launch of the model and if successful, then the company will be targeting the other countries as well. The Mahindra XUV500 is powered by a 2.2 litre mHawk diesel engine that produces 140 BHP of power and 243 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a 6 speed manual transmission. Power is sent to either the front wheels or all the 4 wheels depending on the configuration. Built on a monocoque/unibody structure unlike the previous body-on-frame type chassis layout, the car is more responsive in terms of ride and handling. The car also includes features like Hill Hold function, ESP, alloy wheels, DVD player and racing styled twin exhausts. In India, it is available in 2 trim levels, the W6 and W8 and is likely to be offered in the same manner in the European market as well.
