Mahindra XUV400 is likely to get high-energy-dense NMC cells from LG Chem to rival LFP cells on Nexon EV
Mahindra is on the rise to establish itself as India’s leading EV manufacturer. They unveiled 5 electric SUV concepts last month. Each one is set to make a lot more bang than the other. Mahindra basically wants to rain EVs with its strategic partnership with VW to license their proprietary scalable MEB EV architecture.
The fruits of this partnership though, will maybe ripen in 2023 and later. But in the meantime, Mahindra can’t just let Tata eat the EV cake by itself as Nexon EV accounts to 85% of 4W EV segment. In that light, we will see the reveal of XUV400 Electric based on SsangYong Tivoli’s original dimensions of 4.2m. Latest spy shots confirm the presence of a sunroof.
Mahindra XUV400 Electric Sunroof
In the previous teaser, we got to see a brief glimpse of XUV400 Electric’s front fascia. That’s it. As we said, it was brief. But looking at that teaser, it could be instantly deduced that it was similar to XUV300 Electric concept that was showcased at 2020 Auto Expo. It has a similar headlight design and also gets boomerang-shaped LED DRLs that look nice.
The main highlight of this teaser is XUV400’s profile. It retains Ssangyong Tivoli’s original 4.2m length which was reduced to fit a 4m constraint to fit it into B-segment. But EVs don’t benefit from this hack at all. Hence, the retained dimensions. With a 4.2m length, XUV400 Electric comes off as a much more proportionate and handsome design.
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This length also allows Mahindra to offer a larger boot which was the Achilles Heal of XUV300. 17” wheels are also likely to be carried over from XUV300. Another missing feature on XUV300 was rear AC vents which is also likely to be offered with XUV400 Electric. Latest spy video from PowerStroke PS confirms the presence of a sunroof in the new Electric XUV400.
Specs & Pricing
The MEB platform sourced from VW named INGLO will not be offered with XUV400. But all five EVs that Mahindra showcased on August 15th, will be based on this new platform. XUV400 Electric is likely to get NMC cells sourced from LG Chem and are considered superior to LFP cells that are used on its stark rival Nexon EV Prime and Nexon EV Max.
We can expect around 150 bhp of power along with 400 km of claimed range and 300 km of real-world range from around 40 to 45 kWh battery pack. But Mahindra being Mahindra, we can expect a tonne of features too. We’re talking about a large touchscreen infotainment with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a sunroof, wireless phone charger, ADAS features, dual-zone climate control, 7 airbags and a lot more.
There are also speculations about two battery pack options like we have with Nexon EV. XUV400 is likely to slot between Nexon EVs and MG ZS EV. Pricing can be in the ballpark of Rs. 15 to 20 lakh (ex-sh). Nexon EV Max is priced from Rs 18.34 lakh to Rs 19.84 lakh. Whereas, MG ZS EV is priced from Rs 21.99 lakh. More details will be unveiled on 8th September.
Source: Electric - rushlane.com