India’s leading utility manufacturer, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), will be showcasing a diesel electric hybrid version of the hot-selling XUV500. It will reportedly be India’s first sporty four-door all-electric car and is expected to have a small diesel engine and an electric motor. The Mahindra XUV500 diesel hybrid will be built by its subsidiary, Mahindra Reva Electric Cars (MREC), which has also developed the E2o electric car.
Giving company to the hybrid XUV500 at the Auto Expo will be the electric version of the Mahindra Verito, which could be launched in the domestic market if the government comes out with some incentives for the sector.
Pravin Shah, chief executive (automotive division), said: “We are trying to build brand Mahindra globally. There will be a variety of vehicles under the electric platform. Various things we do surrounding one big activity that is in true sense a representative of our true DNA.”
Also on display will be the Mahindra Formula E car, which will be participating in this year’s inaugural FIA Formula E series in September. Mahindra will also be displaying its first clutch-less automatic manual transmission (AMT) engine-transmission technology, which will be introduced in the yet-to-be-launched Maruti Suzuki Celerio.
“Position-wise, the AMT will sit in between manual and automatic segments of the market. It will provide the fun and efficiency of manual transmission without the clutch,” added Shah.
With Maruti Suzuki introducing the Automated Manual Transmission in the Celerio, and Tata working on the same technology, we can expect more car makers to adopt the technology in the near future.
Stay tuned to Motoroids for more updates on the Mahindra XUV500 diesel electric hybrid from the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo.
Source: BusinessStandard