Mahindra & Mahindra are currently developing a small car and a compact crossover which are likely to share a common platform and powertrains. Codenamed the C-101 (the car) and the S-101 (the crossover) it likely that both vehicles will be built in a monocoque design and use a front-wheel drive architecture. This is a standard practice in the industry for building small cars nowadays.
It is expected that Mahindra will keep the size of the cars below the four-metre mark to take advantage of the excise benefit. This will allow them to price the cars in the range of Rs 3-5 lakh and compete with cars from Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki who is the current small-car segment leader.
Reports suggest that Mahindra and its Korean arm Ssangyong are developing a range of small petrol and diesel engines to power the duo. The petrol will displace 1-litre to 1.2-litre while the diesel is expected to be a new 1.1-litre two-cylinder derived from the XUV500’s mHawk engine.
However, the company has refused to comment on the development. “I will not be able to talk at this stage. It’s too premature for me to share any information,” said Pravin Shah, chief executive (automotive division).
Meanwhile, the Indian truck major is also likely to launch a semi-automatic and a four-wheel drive variant of the Quanto for the Indian and export markets.
Source: Business Standard
