An electric pickup truck could finally be the right product for Mahindra to crack the elusive North American market
Earlier this year, Mahindra teased three electric SUVs of varying sizes. The automaker is preparing for their global premiere in the UK on 15th of August, our Independence Day. The venue makes sense as majority of the design process of these vehicles has been handled by the UK-based Mahindra Advanced Design Europe (MADE).
We have learnt that one of the three upcoming EVs is a lifestyle pickup truck which will primarily be catering to the North American market. This array of zero emission products will usher in a new design era for Mahindra and Mahindra under the leadership of Pratap Bose. Mahindra North American Technical Center is said to be leading the engineering part.
Mahindra Electric Pickup Concept
Nothing much is known about the new Mahindra electric pickup or its siblings but we expect them to be based on a modular platform which is likely to take advantage of the recent component sharing tie-up with Volkswagen Group. As per the partnership, Mahindra gets to use critical EV components from the German giant’s MEB electric platform.
Both single and dual-motor configurations are expected to be on offer but it’s too early to speculate about output figures or battery capacity. However, it is being rumoured that the battery packs will be sourced by LG and a Chinese supplier. All the three cars are estimated to have a range in excess of 400 km.
The Indian SUV specialist has been having a strong aspiration to take the brand global for years now, but things haven’t panned out yet. However, a design center in the UK and a technical center in North America highlights that Mahindra has not given up on its global ambitions.
Mahindra Electric International Plans
The acquisition of SsangYong failed to yield expected results and previous attempts to enter the North American market did not take off either. The Roxor has been marred by a lengthy legal battle with Jeep which eventually led Mahindra to significantly redesign its product. The company will be hoping that the new electric pickup truck and its SUV siblings could give it the much needed break in North America and other key overseas markets.
In what comes as a significant boost to Mahindra’s global EV plans, British International Investment has announced an investment of up to INR 1,925 crore into a new electric 4 wheeler entity which will be wholly owned by M&M.
To be incorporated under the banner Electric Vehicle Co., the new entity will have a capital infusion of around INR 8,000 cr (USD 1 billion) between FY24 and FY27 with both BII and M&M bringing in like-minded private investors. Further details about the EV Co. are expected to be revealed during the world premiere of the 3 new EVs next month.
Source: Electric - rushlane.com
