A Mahindra XUV500 left-hand-drive has been photographed testing in Dubai without camouflage by Yasar Arafath
Mohidheen, suggesting that a launch could be on the cards.
Given that nearly every family car in the Middle
East is powered by petrol, it would be foolhardy to launch the XUV500 with the
2.2L mHawk 140 turbodiesel motor (or the 1.99L derivative) which is the only
option in the model sold worldwide. The model spied has a 6-speed automatic
gearbox, which is an Aisin unit.
The XUV500 spotted in the Middle East also has an
all-black interior with black leather upholstery and silver accents, which was
recently made available as an option to the India-spec model via an update. It
lacks a start/stop button, suggesting that the model is based on the W8
Automatic variant. Some of the highlight features include six airbags, ESC,
Hill Hold, LED light guides, projector headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, a
7-inch touchscreen entertainment system, automatic wipers and headlights, tyre
pressure monitoring, reverse camera and parking sensors, micro-hybrid
technology and cruise control.
In the Middle East, Mahindra distributors used to
sell the Mahindra Scorpio (1st gen) between 2005 and 2008, which was powered by
a Renault-sourced 2.0L 4-cyl petrol engine. However, it didn’t really take the
market by storm like it did in India. Given that the company has always had
aspirations to expand its overseas operations, Mahindra could eye a return in
the personal segment of markets like the Middle East with a lineup of
petrol-powered, LHD SUVs.
