Mahindra says no to electric versions of Scorpio and TUV300
Mahindra and Mahindra will not develop an all-electric variant of its Mahindra Scorpio SUV. Nor will it do the same for the Mahindra TUV 300, Mahindra Bolero. The company is not developing electric vehicles for any of its cars that have a body-on-frame chassis, also known as ladder frame. While the move may disappoint customers of the popular Mahindra Scorpio, M&M managing director Pawan Goenka said that the ladder frame is not conducive to electrification, due to weight limits and other reasons. While Scorpio, TUV 300 and Bolero have been ruled out, what could be coming will be electrified versions of the XUV500 and KUV100 as both have a monocoque chassis. At the same time, the company is developing city-centric electric vehicles. Mahindra's sister company Mahindra Electric will progressively invest Rs 300 crore to Rs 400 crore towards development of new electric powertrains.
Mahindra and Mahindra recently announced a tie-up with Ford to jointly develop electric vehicles and connected cars. The company also launched the e-Alfa Mini electric rickshaw as well as unveiled the first driverless tractor. Earlier, after the announcement of GST, the company had also decided to phase out its mild hybrid system on the Scorpio as there was no incentive to offer the option.