MUMBAI: Utility heavyweight Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is launching another multi-utility vehicle Xylo, its most ambitious project after Scorpio, within the next two months.
The Xylo (positioned between the Bolero and the Scorpio) is speculated to be priced around Rs 7-8 lakh to compete with Toyota?s Innova. Primarily a mid-segment player, M&M is also planning to launch a premium SUV (codenamed W201) by 2009, sources said.
The Xylo, earlier codenamed Ingenio, will be rolled out from its Nashik plant and launched simultaneously in the domestic and international markets. The company is looking at an initial capacity of 25,000 units. The multi-variant Xylo will initially have a diesel engine followed by a petrol engine and an automatic transmission variant. The Xylo will be powered by the 2.5 litre CRDi diesel engine, currently used in the Scorpio.
The company is developing the petrol engine for the Xylo with AVL. Incidentally, the Xylo will be manufactured on the same assembly line as the Scorpio. However, it will have a new body shop, while the paint and press shop will be common.
The styling of Xylo has been co-developed by M&M and the Italian design team. Around 160 experts from M&M created new benchmarks in terms of styling, technology and performance to design the product, said Pawan Goenka, president of M&M?s automotive division. The Xylo was developed by the M&M team in 4 years. ?This product will give the ruggedness of the SUV, space of a MPV and luxury of a sedan,? added Mr Goenka.
Analysts say M&M is developing new products to strengthen its position as a leading SUV player. M&M?s UV range at the bottom-end includes soft-tops, Commander (recently renamed Major) and the Max which retails in the taxi-segment. There is also Bolero which contributes the maximum to M&M sales. The Bolero, including the Camper, sells around 4,500 units a month, followed by the Scorpio which sells around 3,000 units a month.
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