In the wake of the upcoming emission norms, Mahindra is planning to expand its engine lineup by introducing petrol variants of the Scorpio, XUV500 and Marazzo.
Mahindra and Mahindra had already revealed their strategy for BS-6 vehicles. Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra, had earlier said that cars that sell more than 1000 units will make the transition to BS-6. That means cars like the Verito, Verito Vibe, Nuvosport and Xylo will be discontinued in the BS-6 era. Now, Mahindra is also looking to offer BS-6 petrol engine options for the Scorpio, XUV500 and the Marazzo MPV.
Mahindra’s BS-6 strategy will give the company a much leaner portfolio but there will be expansion with new engines. However, with the introduction of a petrol engine, the company does not see a major change in the sales ratio between diesel and petrol.
At the announcement of the company’s Q2 results, Pawan Goenka said, “We will not bring a diesel on the KUV100 but when it comes to cars like the Scorpio, Marazzo, XUV500, I don’t see a major change between petrol and diesel sales. These vehicles would predominantly remain diesel for some time unless there is an artificial barrier that is put on buying of diesel.”
The Scorpio, XUV500 and Marazzo has mostly been diesel powered throughout their lifetime. However, with recent emission norms in place, the company is now preparing for a scenario where it will need to introduce petrol-powered versions of all three cars. Goenka said, “Mahindra is preparing for both diesel and petrol all these cars (Scorpio, XUV500, Marazzo)”
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Mahindra had launched the XUV500 with a petrol engine back in 2017 for a price of Rs. 15.49 lakhs. However, the company did not continue with the petrol engine once the car was facelifted in April, 2018. The Scorpio too was launched with a petrol engine particularly for the NCR region but it was shortly discontinued and now, it’s available only with a diesel engine.
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As for the Marazzo, this MPV too was launched with just one diesel engine on offer. However, now it might see the introduction of a new petrol engine, thus widening the appeal of the MPV. Also, the Marazzo competes against the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, the XL6 and the Renault Lodgy, out of which the Ertiga and XL6 have petrol engine options. Adding a petrol engine option in the Marazzo will certainly help its case.
