The Hindu Business Line : Mahindra unveils multi purpose vehicle Xylo

Revving up: Mr Anand Mahindra, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group, and Dr Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, at the launch of Xylo MPV at Nashik plant on Tuesday.

Manu P. Toms

Nashik, Jan. 13 Utility vehicle major Mahindra & Mahindra launched its multi-purpose vehicle Xylo at its Nashik plant on Tuesday.

Xylo, with its competitive price ranging from Rs 6.24 lakh to Rs 7.69 lakh, is pitched against not only MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) market leader Toyota Innova but also midsize sedans including Ford Fiesta and Maruti SX4.

Mr Anand Mahindra, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra, reiterated the pre-launch advertising slogan for Xylo – “the era of sedan is under serious threat.”

According to Mr Mahindra, comparatively lower price and additional comforts it offers would help Xylo beat the current downtrend in the automotive market.

“There is clearly pressure on market all around world. But if you come out with right product at right price, there is a huge overhang of demand that you can capitalise,” said Mr Mahindra.

A NEW PLATFORM

Xylo, which was under development for four and a half years, is coming out of an all-new platform called Ingenio. It is six and a half years since Mahindra launched a new platform in the UV segment.

“The entire product development has cost Rs 550 crore,” said Mr Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra. “The product development process has improved significantly in the last six and a half years. We hadn’t got everything right the first time when we launched Scorpio. We have got everything right in Xylo the first time.”

Mahindra has the capacity to produce 25,000 units of Xylo a year which, the company officials said, can be ramped up based on demand. “We are assembling Xylo and Scorpio on the same line. So we have got that flexibility,” said Mr Goenka.

GLOBAL LAUNCH

He said that Xylo will have its global launch in South Africa by the end of this financial year. The product will later be launched in other markets, including Europe where tougher emission standards are in place, he said.

Xylo will be available in 57 select Mahindra dealerships in January and another 44 from February.

While Toyota’s low-end Innova E costs Rs 7.60 lakh, the low-end version of Mahindra MPV, Xylo E2, at Rs 6.24, comes with greater comforts including power steering, power windows and central locking. Toyota’s high-end Innova G4 is priced Rs 9.29 lakh while Mahindra’s high-end variant Xylo E8 costs Rs 7.69 lakh and offers additional comforts including digital drive assist system and flatbed front seats, said Mr Rajesh Jejurikar, Chief of Operations, Mahindra & Mahindra.

NEW PRODUCTS

Mahindra will have a few more products from the Ingenio platform in the coming years. “We cannot afford to develop just one product out of one platform. There will be many more products in the next two to three years,” said Mr Goenka.

The company is developing two products, one of which is an SUV targeting the US market. The development cost of the two upcoming models is Rs 550 crore each. Interestingly, the development cost of Scorpio and Xylo is the same.

Related Stories:
M&M starts production of Xylo

More Stories on : Cars | Announcements | New Products & Services

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page