Mahindra XUV500, which is the flagship offering from the Mahindra stable is gearing up for a facelift. Along with the customary nip and tuck and some feature additions, the SUV is also expected to get a shiny new petrol engine. The new petrol engine will reportedly be based on the 2.2 litre diesel mHawk block. Transmission duties will be taken care of by both manual and auto boxes.
The recently launched Jeep Compass has shaken up the SUV segment in India – having been priced slam bang into the void that existed between the likes of the Creta / XUV500 and the more expensive Endeavour / Fortuner. Needless to say, incumbents across segments are feeling the heat and they’d need to do something quickly to ensure that the Compass doesn’t run away with their sales. While a robust sales-and-service network is still a big problem that Jeep will have to face, the Compass is reported to have received a very healthy number of pre-bookings and is poised to dent the sales numbers for popular SUV models across segments.
The new petrol option for the XUV500 will offer a relatively more economical option to the buyers as compared to the diesel mill, though reports suggest that it would be available only in the top of the line trim. The power and torque output numbers for the new power plant are not known at the moment, though we expect the NA unit to have 150 + hp of power.
Mahindra is betting big on petrol engines with a committed investment of over INR 1000 crores. The India carmaker envisions all its models to have a petrol option in due course with as many as four cubic capacities (1.2, 1.5, 1.6 and 2.2 litre) on offer. The report seems to be legit as petrol powered versions of the XUV500 have been spotted testing of late.
The existing 2.2 mHawk diesel engine for the XUV500 is also expected to get more power and will likely get as many as 30hp more. Stay tuned for more updates.
Source: AutocarIndia