Ford-Mahindra are co-developing two new pairs of SUVs as part of their partnership and one of them will be a B-Segment SUV that will go up against the likes of the Hyundai Creta and the Kia Seltos.
We have already reported to you about the partnership Mahindra and Ford entered in October last year and the two companies have already commenced work in multiple areas of cooperation. This Ford-Mahindra partnership will give birth to four news SUVs (two each from either brands) that are being co-developed for both Indian and international markets. One of these will be the next-gen Mahindra XUV500 and the Ford derivative of the same but now, we have some newer details on a pair of smaller SUVs from Ford and Mahindra that are due a little later.
This new pair of SUVs from Mahindra and Ford will be a B-Segment SUV which will be positioned below the next-gen Mahindra XUV500 and the Ford counterpart of the same. They are internally known as the Mahindra S204 and Ford B745 and these SUVs will be around 4.3 meters in length. That’s right in the segment of the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta. They will either be front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive SUVs depending on the variant and target market. While its still unclear as to what Ford will be naming its new B-segment SUV, there are talks that Mahindra could name it the ‘XUV400’, keeping in line with their alpha-numeric nomenclature.
Just like the Creta and the Seltos, the Mahindra S204 and the Ford B745 will have a lot in common including their platform and powertrain options. According to a latest report, these SUVs will be powered by Mahindra’s new G15 1.5L turbo-petrol engine from G-series mStallion petrol engine family that Mahindra showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo. The direct-injection petrol motor churns out a rather healthy 163hp and also does duty on the SsangYong Korando SUV abroad. This same engine will also soon be offered on the upcoming BS6 Marazzo petrol.
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The Mahindra-Ford SUVs will also have a diesel mill under their hood and that is most likely expected to be a derivative of the 1.5-litre four-cylinder seen on the Mahindra Marazzo MPV. The development for both these SUVs have been ongoing for quite some time now. However, if we were to talk about a launch timeline of these upcoming SUVs, it will be the C-Segment SUV combo (the next-gen XUV500 and Ford derivative of the same) that will see the light of the day first. Despite the COVID-19 related delays, Mahindra has confirmed that the SUVs will see their market launch by the first half of 2021.
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As for the B-Segment SUVs, they will see their market launch only towards the second half of the next year. These partnership between Mahindra and Ford is quite significant on some other levels as well. The Ford EcoSport will soon be benefiting from a new 1.2L turbo-petrol engine from the G-series mStallion petrol engine family and it will also be soon offered on the XUV300 as well. Both these iterations should see their market launch in the coming months.
