- Indian SUV specialist Mahindra & Mahindra, which still plans to bring a diesel-powered compact pickup to the U.S., has dubbed its new utility vehicle XUV500.
- The XUV500 will be slotted in India above Mahindra's popular Scorpio, which comes in both SUV and pickup variants.
- Mahindra said its new nameplate is pronounced "XUV 5-double-O."
MUMBAI, India — Indian SUV specialist Mahindra & Mahindra, which still plans to bring a diesel-powered compact pickup to the U.S., has dubbed its new utility vehicle XUV500.
The project, which is being developed in-house as Mahindra's first global SUV, has been code-named W201. Its new production nameplate is pronounced "XUV 5-double-O," according to Mahindra.
The company said it has conducted customer research on the vehicle in India, South Africa and "various Western markets," as well as vehicle testing in Europe and Australia.
The XUV500 will be slotted in India above Mahindra's popular Scorpio, which comes in both SUV and pickup variants. It is the Scorpio pickup that has been intended as Mahindra's first product in North America.
Mahindra said the XUV500, which was designed at the company's research center in Chennai, is "targeted at Generation X." It will be assembled at the company's Chakan plant in Maharashtra.
On a recent growth kick, Mahindra last year acquired controlling stakes in Korean SUV maker Ssangyong and Indian electric-vehicle maker Reva.
Inside Line says: In terms of its alpha-numeric name, the XUV500 breaks with tradition at Mahindra, whose existing SUV lineup is comprised of the Bolero, the Scorpio and the Xylo.
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kaz6 says:
06:53 PM, 09/07/2011
@se_riously: looks like Oldsmobile and Mercury had a baby logo!
se_riously says:
09:43 AM, 09/07/2011
When I first saw the emblem, I thought Oldsmobile.
juan_mx says:
07:22 AM, 09/07/2011
I am not sure why, but the name immediately reminded me of the 6000SUX in Robocop.