Mahindra News

A new player in the expanding electric vehicle (EV) market is coming to Australia. To be confirmed next year and expected to arrive locally starting from 2027, the EVs in question are from Mahindra – the 80-year old automotive brand from India better known for its global domination of tractors, rugged 4WDs and, more recently, value-priced urban SUVs like the XUV700 and recently-released XUV3XO. While not synonymous with electrification in its home market either, Mahindra has shocked sceptics by bounding into the top-three EV makers position in India this year to displace Hyundai, on the back of the Toyota RAV4-sized BE (Born Electric) 6e and its longer, BYD Sealion 7-esque coupe-SUV sibling badged the XEV (Crossover EV) 9e.

The Chery Tiggo 4 has been Australia’s cheapest SUV for a while now, but its crown has been snatched by an Indian-made rival.Mahindra has confirmed its new XUV 3XO starts from $23,490 drive-away for the entry-level AX5L thanks to an introductory pricing offer until August 31.This makes this Indian light SUV cheaper than the Chery Tiggo 4, Hyundai Venue, Kia Stonic and MG ZS, among others.The flagship XUV 3XO AX7L also starts from $26,490 drive-away thanks to that same introductory pricing offer until August 31.After this date, the drive-away pricing of the entire XUV3XO range goes up by $500. A full pricing table is at the bottom of this story.All variants are powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine that produces 82kW of power and 200Nm of torque.This is mated to an Aisin-sourced six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission with drive sent to the front wheels only.Claimed combined fuel consumption is 6.5L/100km, according to ADR testing, and there’s a 42L fuel tank that requires a minimum of 91 RON unleaded petrol, though 95 RON premium unleaded is recommended.Measuring in at 3990mm long, 1821mm wide and 1647mm tall with a 2600mm wheelbase, the XUV 3XO has a turning circle of 5.3 metres and a kerb weight of around 1400kg.Inside there’s 368L of boot space with the rear seats upright. All versions of the XUV 3XO also offer five seats as standard.Like other Mahindra models, the XUV 3XO is covered by a seven-year, 150,000km warranty with seven years of roadside assistance. There’s also seven years of capped-price servicing totalling $1994, or $284.85 per service.As standard the entry-level Mahindra XUV 3XO AX5L comes with 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.25-inch touchscreen multimedia system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six-speaker sound system, dual-zone climate control, electric park brake with auto-hold, keyless entry and push-button start, leather steering wheel and gear selector and black cloth upholstery.Moving up to the AX7L adds a black-painted contrast roof, 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, LED front fog lights, panoramic glass sunroof, seven-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, 65W USB-C charger, cooled glovebox, black synthetic leather upholstery, and synthetic leather on dashboard and door trims.Standard safety equipment includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane centring, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.Stepping up to the AX7L gets you a surround-view camera, blind-spot view camera, and front parking sensors.Available exterior colours include Everest White, Galaxy Grey, Tango Red and Stealth Black. The latter isn’t offered on the flagship AX7L trim and is instead replaced by Citrine Yellow.

Mahindra has been in Australia for 20 years now, though over this time it has bubbled away under the surface primarily as a tractor brand and maker of rugged utes and SUVs.

Mahindra has modified its crash-testing procedures as well as safety specifications of all future models coming to Australia, to factor in regional requirements, essentially “doubling up” on the processes and expense.

Mahindra has announced that the next-generation Pik-Up is being prepared for an all-out assault on the lucrative Australian ute market. Dubbed Project Z121 and based on the Global Pik Up concept revealed in 2023, the all-new dual-cab one-tonne utility is pencilled in for an Australian launch sometime later next year, following a production debut in its native India later on this year.

Mahindra has confirmed that the long-awaited Thar will not be sold in Australia in its current form. The rugged, body-on-frame wagon was expected to arrive sometime this year in traditional three-door and extended-body five-door wagon guises.

Mahindra has finally confirmed that the Jeep Wrangler-style body-on-frame Thar as we know it will not be imported to Australia.

It’s EOFY time again!

The Mahindra XUV3XO has been approved for sale in Australia ahead of its imminent local launch.Measuring in at under 4.0m long, 1.8m wide and 1.6m tall, this light SUV will rival the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Kia Stonic, Mazda CX-3 and Toyota Yaris Cross, among others.According to government approval documents, this Indian-produced SUV has been approved for sale in three trim levels – AX3L, AX5L and AX7L.All three of these trim levels will be powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine producing 82kW of power and be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.This means we’re getting the weakest of the engine options offered.In India there’s a more-powerful version of this 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that produces 96kW/260Nm, as well as a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that produces 85kW/300Nm.None of the manual transmission option will be offered either.According to the approval documents, the XUV3XO has a tare mass of about 1400kg and has a braked towing capacity of 750kg. Payload is also about 400kg.There is little information regarding what separates the three trim levels, but the AX3L and AX5L get 16-inch wheels wrapped in 205/65 tyres, and the flagship AX7L gets 17-inch wheels wrapped in 215/55 tyres.All XUV3XO examples have MacPherson front suspension, however, unlike Indian versions of the XUV3XO which have torsion beam rear suspension, the Australian-specification versions are approved for sale with multi-link rear suspension.At this stage Mahindra Australia hasn’t confirmed pricing of the XUV3XO range, though it’s expected to start around $25,000 before on-road costs.Exterior features are likely to include single- and dual-tone paint, alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights, rain-sensing wipers, a small rear spoiler and roof rails.Inside, the XUV3XO is likely to carry synthetic leather upholstery, twin 10.25-inch displays for the central multimedia display and digital driver’s display, keyless entry and push-button start.Safety features include six airbags, a surround-view camera, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warning.The Mahindra XUV3XO is a facelifted version of the XUV300, which was never offered in Australia.It’s built on the same platform as the KGM Tivoli (formerly SsangYong Tivoli), which was sold in Australia from 2018 to 2020, when stock of the then-current model dried up.

Mahindra will unveil its all-new XUV3XO compact SUV at the Melbourne Motor Show this weekend, along with a seven-seat version of its Scorpio four-wheel drive.At approximately 3990mm long, 1821mm wide and 1647mm tall, the XUV3XO is considerably smaller than its larger sibling, the Haval H6- and Chery Tiggo 7 Pro-rivalling XUV700.The XUV3XO will instead act as a rival to the Hyundai Venue and Kia Stonic, with pricing expected to start around $25,000, before on-road costs, where both of its competitors also reside.In return, expect three potential powertrain options consisting of two engines and three differing outputs, as is the case on its home market India.That includes two 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine configurations capable of 82kW/200Nm or 96kW/260Nm, as well as a class-leading 1.5-litre turbo-diesel that delivers 85kW/300Nm.Both petrol and diesel variants are offered with the choice of an automatic or manual transmission, with a two-wheel-drive setup coming standard.Exterior features are likely to include single-tone and dual-tone paint, alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights, rain-sensing wipers, a small rear spoiler and roof rails.Inside, the XUV3XO is likely to carry synthetic leather upholstery, twin 10.25-inch displays for the central multimedia display and digital driver’s display, keyless entry and push-button start.Safety features include six airbags, a surround-view camera, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control and lane-departure warning.Mahindra hasn’t yet confirmed when it will launch the XUV3XO, though it is likely to arrive at some point in the second half of the year.No additional upgrades have been made to the Scorpio aside from the additional option of a seven-seat configuration, which bumps the price to $46,990, drive-away, for the Z8L, up $5000 from the six-seat Z8.Despite the price rise it still matches the GWM Tank 300, which is only available in five-seat configurations, on entry price. Additionally, it is $1410 less than the cheapest seven-seat Isuzu MU-X variant – the LS-M – which comes in two-wheel drive guise as standard.