Now there’s no smoke without a fire. A Mahindra dealer in Bangalore said he has first-hand information that the W201 will be launched on April 14. But we still find this extremely hard to believe.
The moment we heard this news, we contacted M&M’s communications department who said that this was not true. But a Bangalore dealer said M&M has organized the venue for the launch already in Bangalore, and that it was confirmed for April 14.
The dealer also said he had been to Mahindra’s regional sales office in Bangalore and had seen a few W201’s parked there, but with the covers on. The area was also out-of-bounds to him. This could mean one of two things. One, M&M has got a few more “test mules” in Bangalore for further road tests. Or two, these are pre-launch vehicles being readied for shipment to dealers just before an impending launch. So far, what we had heard was the W201 launch would take place by Diwali – now we are not so sure.
Mechanics at an authorized service centre in Mumbai also confirmed that the launch was likely very soon. The mechanics said they had been to the M&M factory in Nashik for a training program on servicing the W201. They could not confirm if the vehicle had been given a proper brand name though, saying it did not have the badges on it.
The third reason why we believe that the launch is impending, is that Mahindra and Mahindra’s Auto and Farm Equipment Sector’s President, Pawan Goenka, recently told the Economic Times, “We will be launching the new SUV during the first quarter of 2011-2012 fiscal year.” He had also mentioned that the new SUV will be the most premium product in the company’s Indian SUV line-up, consisting of the Thar, Bolero and Scorpio. And yes, we are now in the first quarter of 2011-2012!
Codenamed W201 (a.k.a world SUV), Mahindra & Mahindra has been working on its World SUV model for a while now. The test mules of the world SUV have been spotted at many locations and based on the spy pictures, it is clear that the W201 is bigger than Mahindra Scorpio and Xylo, and looks slightly larger than the Chevrolet Captiva. The large 17-inch wheels (test mules had them) and bold wheel fenders indicate Mahindra’s intentions to export this product to Western countries. The expected price range for this new SUV is Rs. 14 – 16 lakh.
However, April 14 also has another likely big-ticket launch – the new 2011 Ford Fiesta. Two big car launches on the same day is highly unlikely, but apparently April 14 is a very “auspicious” day, besides being New Year’s day for Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
As per the rendered images of automobile magazines, the W201 will sport Mahindra’s wide, seven-slat signature grille at the front and large dual headlamps, with LED daytime running lights. The turn indicators are integrated in the external rear view mirrors.
The rear of the W201 is more like an MPVs. But the width of the vehicle hides the MPV styling and also hints at a sporty stance.
Competing against the likes of the Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Captiva and the unpopular Tata Aria crossover, the W201 is Mahindra’s first global model developed on a monocoque platform, a first for M&M.
The W201 is expected to be powered by Mahindra’s tried and tested 2.2 litre mHawk CRDi engine that could produce about 138 bhp of power and will be mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Justifying its SUV tag, the Mahindra W201 will feature a Borg-Warner on-demand 4×4 system.
Expect the W201 to come with ABS, ESP, traction control, and airbags as standard features. Mahindra will produce the W201 at its Chakan plant in Pune.
The Tata Aria’s unpopularity will have a bearing on Mahindra as well. But it may just work in Mahindra’s favor provided W201, which has promised a lot with its looks, equally satisfies the expectations of its prospective buyers.
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