Mahindra & Mahindra has some really big EV plans for the Indian market. Recently, the company announced that it will invest up to Rs 10,000 crore to setup an EV (Electric Vehicle) only manufacturing plant in Pune, Maharashtra. In fact, the carmaker has received approval for the investment from Maharashtra Government under its industrial promotion scheme for EVs. The investment will be made over a period of 7-8 years.
The new Mahindra EV facility will serve as development and production hub for the brand’s upcoming Born Electric Vehicles (BEVs). Some of the BEVs were first showcased in Oxfordshire, UK, on 15th August, 2022. The official press release states “Based on the state-of-the-art INGLO EV Platform, these include the e-SUVs under the iconic brand – XUV with the Twin Peak logo in copper and the all-new electric-only brand called ‘BE’”.
On 15th August 2022, the home-grown automaker showcased the five born EVs based on the brand’s new INGLO EV skateboard platform. All these upcoming Mahindra electric SUVs will be retailed via two new sub-brands XUV.e and BE. The carmaker has already confirmed that the XUV.e models will be the first one to hit showrooms – including XUV.e8 (in December 2024) and XUV.e9. The first BE model will witness a market launch in October 2025.
The upcoming Mahindra XUV.e8 SUV will essentially be the electric version of the XUV700. The final production version will share its design elements and features with its ICE-powered sibling. The concept features a closed-off front grille, bumper mounted headlamps, full width LED light bars running towards the bumper, a sharply designed hood and angular stance. The XUV.e8 measures 4740mm in length, 1900mm in width and 1760mm in height with a wheelbase of 2762mm. When compared to the ICE-powered XUV700, the electric SUV is around 45mm longer, 10mm wider and 5mm taller. It will be made available with a battery pack ranging up to 80kWh and AWD (all-wheel drive) system.
