Mahindra’s plan to take on the Kia Seltos

Mahindra is on a roll in the Indian market. It recently wrapped up the launch of the Scorpio-N, Scorpio Classic & unveil of five electric cars. Mahindra has been aggressively pricing its new SUVs. All-in-all, the brand has established an image of offering competitive products at mouth-watering prices. However, there is one car that everyone seems to have forgotten; the XUV500. The Mahindra XUV500 was a very strong product for the carmaker which laid strong foundation for the success of the XUV700. Considering its importance, Mahindra has plans of reviving the XUV500 nameplate in the future. However, this time around, the XUV500 will be very different. It will most likely re-enter the market as a C-SUV to take on cars like Hyundai Creta & Kia Seltos. So, in today’s article, we will talk about Mahindra’s Seltos rival.

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Dimensions & design

The new XUV500 will mostly be a smaller car compared to the older XUV500. It would be a C-segment SUV with an expected length of around 4300mm. What about the design? It is too early to predict its design, but it could take design elements from the XUV700. We can expect an aggressive front design with a muscular grille & sharp headlamps. Mahindra might implement C-shaped DRLs like the XUV700. It would also sport Mahindra’s new Twin Peaks logo. The side profile could be left clean. At the rear, we could see connected tail lamps.

Mahindra Seltos rival – Specifications

Mahindra is making a habit of bringing the most powerful SUVs in their respective segments. We have seen that with the XUV700 & the Scorpio-N. Mahindra could do the same with the new XUV500 as well. What engines can Mahindra offer? Mahindra can give it a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine. Mahindra was testing this engine for the Marazzo. It could be the ideal choice for the new XUV500. The diesel engine could be the 1.5-litre unit that it uses on the Marazzo. Both engines will come with manual & automatic gearbox options. We expect Mahindra to skip on the AMT gearbox with this SUV and stick with something conventional.

Features

Features have become another strong point in newer Mahindra cars. We have seen Mahindra doing this on the XUV700 & Scorpio-N. So what can we expect from the XUV500? We could expect features like a new infotainment system, AdrenoX UI, premium sound system, ventilated seats, a panoramic sunroof, a fully digital instrument cluster, dual-zone climate control and rear AC vents. What about safety? Safety features could include six airbags, ABS with EBD, all disc brakes, auto booster headlamps, etc.

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Mahindra Seltos rival – Launch timeline

Mahindra has already confirmed that it will be bringing the XUV500 nameplate back sometime in future. It has not given a fixed timeline for the launch, but we can expect the launch to happen sometime in 2024 or 2025. What about the pricing? Mahindra is expected to price the XUV500 quite aggressively to take on the established players in this segment. The new XUV500 will compete with the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun and also upcoming cars like the Tata Curvv.

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