Mahindra, the Indian automaker, has unveiled five UK-designed electric SUVs that will be launched in the coming years on a new electric platform powered by Volkswagen Group technology – and company executives have told Move Electric that they may be available in the UK in the future.
Mahindra is a leading car manufacturer in India, and it also produces a line of electric two- and three-wheelers. It is perhaps best known in the UK for its FIA Formula E World Championship team, which has recently signed top driver Lucas di Grassi for the upcoming 2022/2023 season. It also sells farm machinery, which is popular in the United States. Automobili Pininfarina, which is developing the Battista electric supercar, is also owned by Mahindra.
The five new electric SUVs will be divided into two new sub-brands: XUV and Be. The new Be models were designed at Mahindra’s new Mahindra Advanced Design Europe (MADE) centre, which has recently relocated next to the team’s Formula E operation in Banbury, Oxfordshire. The XUV models were designed by Mahindra’s Indian design centre.
All five models, as well as all future electric Mahindra models, will be built on the company’s new Inglo bespoke electric platform. This is a modular platform intended for electric SUVs with seating for up to seven people. Due to the poor condition of some roads in India, high-riding SUVs are particularly popular, and Mahindra has prioritised high ground clearance and a relatively compact wheelbase.
The new Mahindra SUVs
The five machines will be sold under two new Mahindra brands, XUV and Be. The XUV brand will “build on the Mahindra legacy,” with a new version of the company’s “twin peaks” logo. In the meantime, the Be models will feature a “audacious new design language.”
Effectively, XUV models will complement and sit alongside existing Mahindra combustion-engined models, whereas the sportier, premium Be models will be all-new electric designs designed to win over a new set of customers.
About Mahindra Electric Company
Mahindra Electric Mobility Limited, formerly known as the Reva Electric Car Company, is a Bangalore-based Indian company that designs and manufactures compact electric vehicles. The REVAi electric car was the company’s first vehicle, and it was available in 26 countries with over 4,000 different versions sold worldwide by mid-March 2011. In May 2010, the Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra acquired Reva.
Following the acquisition, the company launched the e2o electric hatchback in 2013. Today, the company sells electric vehicles in several segments, including the eVerito electric sedan, the eSupro electric commercial vehicle (passenger and cargo), and the Treo range of low-maintenance, lithium-ion battery-powered three-wheelers. Mahindra Electric recently became the first Indian car manufacturer to reach 170 million kilometres driven on its fleet.
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