Mahindra announced the name of its upcoming MPV in
Mumbai yesterday. The Mahindra Marazzo, as it will be called, will launch in
India first before the end of Q2 FY2019, prior to going on sale in global
markets. Designed with inputs from Pininfarina, Mahindra says the people
carrier is inspired by the Shark.
The Mahindra Marazzo (codename Mahindra U321) is the
first passenger vehicle to be collaboratively engineered by Mahindra North
American Technical Centre (MNATC) and Mahindra Research Valley (MRV) in
Chennai, India. The design too is a collaboration between Pininfarina and
Mahindra Design Center, Mumbai. The Marazzo, Dr. Pawan Goenka, Managing
Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, says is "born of a vision to design
a global vehicle".
Europe, Australia, Middle East, Africa and South
America could be the focus markets for the Mahindra Marazzo as the carmaker is
already selling at least one product in these regions. Mahindra spokesmen said
at the press conference that the Marazzo would "eventually probably (go)
where the XUV500 is sold". However, the big question is, will the Marazzo
unlock North America's 17.2 million unit strong car and truck market for the
Mahindras.
In the domestic market, the Marazzo will be
positioned above the Xylo and will rival entry-level variants of the Toyota
Innova Crysta. Mahindra claims the Marazzo has the 'largest footprint' of any
Mahindra vehicle, though detailed specifications are a secret.
Mahindra’s new 1.5-liter diesel engine reportedly
will have its debut on the Marazzo with expected power and torque outputs of
121 hp and 300 Nm respectively. It will be paired to a 6-speed manual gearbox.
