Road Safety Blog

Major launch by Mahindra at Gerotek

jonckie

On Monday Mahindra invited journalists for the launch of what we were led to believe would be the XUV700. In a truly well-executed move, however, they unveiled three new vehicles and their brand new logo. The vehicles included the Mahindra XUV700, the new Scorpio which is now called Scorpio ‘to the power of N,’ and the Karoo.

 

 

New Mahindra logo

Starting off with the logo, it is now called the ‘Twin Peaks’ logo, where the top of the M are the peaks. It stands for the uncharted terrain Mahindra intends on conquering. The new logo also has a X at the heart of it and this stands for ‘exploring the impossible.’ The new logo represents where they aim to go with their new identity.

 

ScorpioN

The first vehicle unveiled was the ScorpioN, as mentioned now called the Scorpio to the power of N. The changes to the ScorpioN are extensive and if you were to see the last generation side-by-side with the new, you would not think they are one generation apart.

 

The intention is to make sure the ScorpioN is unmistakable, robust and bold. Emphasis is placed on was creating a muscular looking vehicle that is a step into the future. The grille maintains the ‘strength’ of the previous model. Other changes include:

 

In the interior you can now expect contoured seats, coffee-themed interior colours and infotainment system that prioritizes modernity. In particular, Mahindra has integrated Alexa into their vehicles, which is massively impressive. You can essentially say ‘Alexa turn on my car’ and Alexa will oblige.

 

Don’t, however, get too excited just yet. This feature is not available in South Africa yet and there is no projection as to when it will happen. It ultimately depends on Google and when Alexa Auto will be introduced to South Africa. Thus, it might be some time still before we get to enjoy this.

 

Focus is also placed on creating a vehicle that has ease of use on all terrains. This is to make it a car that is accessible and not intimidating to drive whether you are a novice or advanced driver on terrains other tar roads. It can handle all terrains from highway, to gravel, to the most extreme terrain. It has the option for you to choose between different driving modes from normal to muddy and rutted roads.

 

Safety is also prioritised. Even with a lowered vehicle mass, they used tensile steel to increase the safety of the vehicle. It has a full suite of safety features including:

 

Any driver concerned they’re jumping into a basic car can be assured that technology and comfort received full attention. This includes among others:

 

The objective of Mahindra was to create a new age, and authentic SUV for drivers. Effort was made to ensure nothing was missed in the design and Mahindra describes the new ScorpioN as the ‘Big Daddy’ of SUVs.

 

Mahindra XUV700

The next car unveiled was the XUV700, the car most of us were expecting to see. The focus in the XUV700 is to make it the car with the safest safety rating as well as amazing tech. It has:

 

 

The XUV700 is an all-wheel drive with a rear suspension intended to give drivers the best experience in this regard. They have also made use of tensile steel for increased safety. The design of the body and the way in which the car was welded, according to Mahindra, increases the overall strength as well.

 

From the exterior, designers wanted to make the curves obvious and catch the eye and ‘amaze’ those around them. In this regard they say the design of the vehicle has a Cheeta-like stance. Granted, if you are looking for it, you can actually see it. It has a bold and dynamic stance again maintaining the distinctive grille and adding diamond cut alloys.

 

In the interior you can expect dual 10’’ screens. One is the infotainment screen and the other is the drivers screen. According to Mahindra, this is a unique approach and when you get to see it, it definitely creates that impression. Essentially, however, most cars have digital screens for both the driver and the infotainment screen but it’s designed in such a way that it does not have that distinct separation so it is unique in design but not to what is currently available.

 

Tech and comfort in the XUV 700 includes:

 

What was interesting, and what I definitely haven’t seen before, is that the volume can only be controlled on the steering wheel (I cannot recall which of the two vehicles this was in). There are no buttons or knobs that passengers can use to adjust sound. From a safety perspective, I see the value of preventing passengers from distracting the driver but, on the other hand, I’m not sure how this will take off?

 

Mahindra aimed to design the XUV700 to suit South Africans and their nature to explore and be in nature with their cars as a natural extension of this. They noted that this is why bakkies, or as they called them pickups, do so well here. Thus, they designed their bakkies to be as rough as the roads that South Africans drive on. I’m fairly sure they mean off-road but with the current pothole situation one never knows.

 

Mahindra Karoo

Thus enter the Karoo, the third vehicle unveiled. There are three derivatives, the Dusk, the Dawn and the Storm. Mahindra based this car on the South African customers that resonate with a tough, reliable car.

They feature nudge bars as well as alloy wheels. The Karoo is the car for those who are going to take road trips in South Africa. The enthusiast that will use it in every terrain it is meant for, on normal roads, off-road and on any difficult driving condition or in the case of this target audience, any enjoyable driving conditions.

 

In addition to completely surprising those in attendance, Mahindra also launched the new vehicles simultaneously with the rest of the world. It was a global unveiling as part of their 18th birthday. I look forward to seeing these Mahindra’s on our roads.

 

The conditions and experiences that the cars were tested under where not ideal to give feedback on drive and performance so we look forward to driving them during the extended test and providing a better perspective. Unfortunately, due to supply chain issues, consumers can only expect to see these new vehicles in dealerships during 2023.

 
[MasterDrive]

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