On August 15, 2022, Indian auto major Mahindra and Mahindra had showcased its Born EV vision at an event in Banbury, United Kingdom. The company’s showcase of its new electric SUV family was the firm announcement of its ambitions of becoming a global electric car major.
Exactly a year later, in Cape Town, South Africa, the company not just reaffirmed its global ambition and commitment, but showcased to a select group of media from India, Thailand and South Africa, a glimpse of how it intends to drive its strategic vision for the future.
On showcase were two concepts – a global pickup (‘pik up’, as Mahindra calls it) that is based on a new generation ladder frame platform. This marks a significant step in Mahindra’s “Go-Global” strategy, said Veejay Nakra, President – Automotive Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra. This product, once launched, is expected to “not only reinforce our presence in existing markets but also pave the way to new frontiers”.
The other concept – a teaser of which was shared with the media a few days prior – was the Vision Thar.e, developed on the INGLO-born electric platform, and equipped with an all-wheel drive (AWD) electric powertrain. Mahindra has truly gone the distance with conceptualising the Thar.e, incorporating fabrics made of 50% recycled PET and recyclable uncoated plastics, and featuring adaptable, modular, and swappable components.
The company hasn’t committed to exact timelines for the launch of these two specific concepts, but reaffirmed its commitment to launch four new SUVs under its Born Electric vision. The XUV.e8 is scheduled to launch in December 2024, while the XUV.e9 will be introduced in April the following year.
The BE.05, which the company revealed at the event in near production ready form, will likely hit the market by October 2025, followed by the BE.07 in April 2026. These products – and others like the Thar.e – would primarily drive the company’s target to sell about 200,000 electric vehicles by the 2027-28 timeframe. This would take the company’s EV share in the market to 20-30 % of its overall sales, reiterated Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director and CEO, Auto & Farm Sector, M&M.
Earlier in the day, Mahindra Tractors launched seven new tractor models for India on the compact and small utility platforms ranging from 20 to 40 hp (14.91 kW – 29.82 kW). These tractors are based on the company’s newly launched lightweight OJA platform.
BEVs Get New Brand Identity, Anthem
Meanwhile, Mahindra Electric Automobiles Limited (MEAL), M&M’s new subsidiary that will drive its portfolio of born electric vehicles, unveiled a new visual identity that it claims personifies “infinite possibilities”.
Over a period of time, Jejurikar said, the company will electrify all its ICE brands, and when that happens, they will get this brand new identity. The copper Twin Peaks logo that Mahindra introduced on the XUV 400 EV will continue to adorn the product, but everything else will get the new brand identity.
Mahindra’s ICE portfolio will continue to be led by brands such as Bolero, XUV, Scorpio and Thar, while the Born EV portfolio, based on the INGLO platform, will come in five brands – BE, XUV.e, Thar.e, Scorpio.e and Bolero.e, said Jejurikar.
Offering a design perspective on the new brand identity, Bose said the infinity symbol (reimagined to represent the letter ‘M’) represents “the constant flow of energy as well as Mahindra’s rock-solid heritage reimagined for next-generation mobility”.
Mahindra has also engaged with musical maestro AR Rahman to create a brand anthem as well as create sonic identity for its BEVs; 75 in total to represent drive sounds, experience modes, infotainment cues, and functional signals such as seat-belt alerts and turn indicators.
The company has also announced a collaboration with Dolby Atmos and Harman/kardon by HARMAN to offer a heightened, 3D audio experience to the born electric range of vehicles. This is the first time in India that Dolby Atmos will be offered on a product aimed at the mass market.
Even the 16 speaker Harman/kardon system with Quantum Logic Immersive (QLI) surround sound, which redistributes the individual audio streams to specific speakers, is an India-first introduction, claimed the company.
(The writer is in South Africa on invitation by Mahindra & Mahindra)
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