Mahindra S101 to get XUV500-like badge, launch in the next 4 months

Mahindra S101 (codename for the new compact SUV) is about three to four months away from its launch and this will be mega-launch from Mahindra for this year. The new S101 will be christened with a XUV500-like nomenclature, mostly with 300 (and even a different range). As the S101 is based on a new platform, it could be called as CUV, which could stand for Compact Utility Vehicle or City Utility Vehicle.

As naming is the almost the last stage, so there isn’t much clarity on this, but we have confirmed news that it should be one of this, from what has been decided at the moment. The XUV500 as it is pronounced as XUV-5-double-O ends and this two Os in the end. This gave Mahindra a chance to play around with the terms and alphanumeric product name also gives a freedom to name related products in the near future.

Pundits always suggested the S101 to be named as XUV300, however our sources at Mahindra confirm that the Indian utility-vehicle manufacturer is likely to name its compact SUV as XUV300, TUV300 or CUV300, where C will stand for compact or city.

As XUV has been a successful brand for Mahindra and they will like to continue with the same legacy. The S101 is built for urban customers and the new Bolero will be for rural use. The S101 should get LEDs integrated into the headlamps and will be a smaller version of the XUV500, with design as its key USP. The Mahindra S101 will be powered by a new 1.2-litre petrol engine that will produce about 75-85bhp of power and the diesel will be a 1.5-litre engine that will produce 100bhp of power. Both these engines will come mated to a five-speed manual transmission and only the diesel will be made available with a five-speed AMT (automated manual transmission).

This is a compact SUV under 4 metres of length and it can seat five people. The S101 will be manufactured at Mahindra’s new Chakan plant along with the next-generation Bolero. The pre-production pilot testing will commence soon and it will be sometime in July that Mahindra will be ready to manufacture the S101 at its Chakan plant. This new plant has undergone expansion to accommodate the production of these two new SUVs. There is a rumour that the new Bolero could also be named on the same lines and this could be the TUV300, a larger size Bolero is also in the plans and it could be called as TUV500, there is no confirmed news for the same. Mahindra will be having seven more launches this year, other than the S101 and U301 (next-generation Bolero).

Update on 08/04/2015: As the S101 is smaller in size, XUV100/XUV300/CUV100/CUV300 are being considered.