Mahindra flips the switch on its electric future

Mahindra is going global while cementing its place in the electric future. This was the message conveyed by the Indian marque at a Futurescape event held in Cape Town this week for local partners and a contingent of local and international media.

In attendance was Mahindra & Mahindra global president Veejay Ram Nakra and many of his top management team, including Pratap Bose, chief design officer; Rajesh Jejurikar, CEO Auto & Farm Sectors; R Velusamy, president automotive technology and product development; and Rajesh Gupta, CEO Mahindra South Africa.

The brand outlined its plans while showcasing new concept vehicles.

Mahindra Global Pik Up 

Developments from a local perspective include the announcement that the new Global Pik Up concept, the company’s new lifestyle bakkie aimed at taking on the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and others in the competitive niche, is confirmed for introduction in South Africa.

Though the date and technical details are yet to be confirmed, in a move familiar to South Africa from brands such as Nissan and Isuzu, the new bakkie will be sold with the current Scorpio Pik Up. Nakra confirmed the company’s KwaZulu-Natal plant will continue to assemble the existing bakkie, which records an average 600 vehicles sold monthly to serve South African customers and to bolster the company’s expansion into the continent.   

New models 

South Africa is the brand’s biggest market outside India, according to the company, and the product portfolio has grown to include passenger cars. Mahindra will in future concentrate on offering commercial and lifestyle SUV products exclusively. These will be the XUV, Scorpio and Bolero models. 

The process has begun in South Africa, seen by the quiet axing of the brand’s entry-level KUV100+ hatchback. The KUV 300 becomes the entry-point into Mahindra SUV ownership, with the new XUV700 and the Scorpio N SUVs.

Electric future 

Mahindra Electric Automobiles (MEAL) is a newly set up subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra. With its own logo, the new division will house the forthcoming range of BE (Born Electric) concept SUVs, namely the BE.05, BE.07 and BE.Rall-E. The full-electric series will be bolstered with EV versions of the brand’s bread-and-butter models, the XUV.e, Scorpio.e and Bolero.e ranges.

Physical concepts revealed on the day included the Thar.E concept. The design study showcases a cheeky and fully electric design departure from the Mahindra Thar, the rugged and affordable off-road vehicle with the iconic styling of the Jeep CJ series.

The range of electric concepts will be based on the company’s scalable INGLO electric car platform. Mahindra said it built the variable skateboard for speed, efficiency, safety and adaptability, with up to 170kW of power expected for rear-wheel drive models and 250kW for the all-wheel drive versions. 

Next-generation battery science ranging from 60kWh to 80kWh, and capable of charging up to 80% in less than 30 minutes will be integrated into the new BE SUV range, with Volkswagen to supply the new age electric motors.