Official: W201 is Mahindra XUV500, December Launch Expected

Mahindra announced today that its long anticipated global SUV will be called the XUV500 (according to the press release, pronounced XUV ‘5 double Oh’), and launch this December in India and select global markets.

Mahindra Planet has detailed what is known of the new SUV on several occasions, and it appears that not much has changed.  The XUV500 will be positioned above all other current Mahindra products and target global competitors like Toyota, Mitsubishi, GM, and Ford.

The XUV500 will be a unitized (monocoque or unibody) design with a front transverse diesel engine layout and likely all-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive versions available.  The XUV500 presents somewhat of a landmark for Mahindra, as it is the first complete vehicle to be designed and developed in-house, and represents a significant departure from the less refined, rugged trucks they currently build.

While the XUV500 was designed for world markets (including the US), it is likely that they will focus on utilizing existing Ssangyong distribution networks and initially focus on markets that Mahindra already has a presence in (like Africa).  However, don’t hold your breath for the XUV500 or other Mahindra products in the US any time soon.

Click HERE for the press release (which doubles as a great drinking game if you down a shot every time they mention the word “truly”).

Source: Mahindra, The Wall Street Journal, Burn Your Fuel