A test mule of the 2020 Mahindra Scorpio caught fire in the outskirts of Chennai, Tamil Nadu while testing. The exact reason for the test mule catching fire isn’t known yet.
Mahindra has been testing the actively the 2020 Scorpio for quite some time now across Tamil Nadu and we have seen several spy shots of it earlier as well. Now, a fresh video has surfaced on the internet which shows a test mule of the 2020 Scorpio engulfed in fire on the outskirts of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
The exact reason on how the test mule caught fire isn’t known and neither does the video show that. As per the reports, the Scorpio test mule was undergoing its usual road test when the driver noticed smoke coming out from the engine bay. He parked the vehicle on the side of the road and before help could arrive, the entire car was engulfed in flames. A car catching fire like this is quite a rare occurrence in modern times. So lets look a little deeper on what could have caused the fire.
Accident
This seems as one of the most probable reasons for the car to catch fire. Manufacturers usually test the vehicles at high speeds on the highways and given the poor condition of Indian highways, an accident isn’t all that improbable. Most modern cars come with a trip function to cut fuel supply to the engine to prevent a fire accident. However, this being a prototype, the function may not have been activated. Even in production vehicles, the trip function may malfunction sometimes.
Short Circuit
One of the most common reasons for cars to catch fire is a short circuit. And there could be many reasons possibly leading to this. The most probable reasons are poor wire quality and poor installation of the wiring harness, rat bites (a big threat for all cars) and naked wires lying out exposed. Again, this being a test mule, all of these are quite possible. It is always advisable to fix wiring related problems as quickly as possible to avoid any unfortunate incidents like this.
Also Read : What to Expect from the Skoda Kamiq Coming to India!
Engine or Components Malfunction
The last possibility we are guessing is that the engine or any of the components might have malfunctioned. Manufacturers generally test various components from different original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Certain components in the car could be running on high stress for this unfortunate incident to occur. As can be seen from the video, the front suspension of the test mule has also collapsed.
Also Read : Kia Sub-Compact SUV Codenamed QYI Spotted Testing in India!
The 2020 Mahindra Scorpio is one of the most highly anticipated cars from Mahindra coming in Auto Expo 2020 and its quite unfortunate for the test mule to have caught fire like this. The new model will come with an evolutionary design, new interiors and more features and even a BS-6 compliant 2.0-litre diesel and petrol powertrains. It will also be larger than the existing model and we are really looking forward to it.
