M&M has two big launches in its
business plan for 2018. These are the Mahindra S201 and Mahindra U321. The
pre-production units of the former are in different grades with one getting
steel rims while the other features 5-split spoke alloy wheels. Both vehicles
are wholly camouflaged successfully hiding the design details from public eye.
Being a sub 4 m offering, there will be
1.2 L petrol and 1.5 L diesel engine options in the U321. The former will also
benefit from turbocharging and is likely to produce a class-leading output of
around 140 hp. Expect automatic transmission variants on offer.
The Mahindra U321's test units had alloy
wheels, but only one of them had a visible set of LED DRLs up front. Previous
spy shots have revealed projector headlamps and vertically stacked tail lamp
clusters. The interior of the U321 has been spied in the past revealing the
dashboard layout. The upcoming MPV will be a true 7-seater.
A new 1.6 L diesel engine will
reportedly power the U321. It will have a power and torque output of 125 hp and
305 Nm. A petrol engine is also expected to be offered, details regarding the
same scarce at the moment.
As per a report from March 2018, the
launch of the Mahindra S201 and Mahindra U321 will take place by this festive
season. The S201 will take the fight to the Maruti Vitara Brezza, Ford
EcoSport, and the Tata Nexon with an aggressive pricing strategy. Mahindra's
MPV is likely to slot in between the new Maruti Ertiga and the Toyota Innova
Crysta, in price positioning.
