Mahindra Group has recently announced the appointment of Pratap Bose as the Executive Vice President and Chief Design Officer to lead the new Global Design organization. Bose will report to Rajesh Jeurikar, ED, Auto and Farm Sectors of Mahindra & Mahindra.
Jeurikar has also announced that the brand will introduce 23 new products in the next 5 years. These new models will come with new design and advanced engineering capability across automotive, farm equipment and two wheelers. The report claims that Mahindra Group is planning to launch over 3 dozen products across segments (UVs, CVs and tractors) in the next 5 years. The company will invest close to Rs 17,000 across business in three years.
Mahindra’s new Global Design Organization will comprise of Mahindra Advanced Design Europe (M.A.D.E), which is being set up in Coventry, UK and the existing Mahindra India Design Studio (M.I.D.S). Pratap Bose will lead a team of 30 designers out of the UK in the first phase.
It is confirmed that Pratap Bose will lead the both M.A.D.E and M.I.D.S, and will oversee design of all key business segments such as authentic SUVs including Born Electric Vehicle (BEV), Light Commercial Vehicles, Last Mile Mobility, Large CVs, Peugeot scooters and tractors & farm machines.
A leaked document from Mahindra’s product launch strategy during annual analyst meet reveals that Mahindra will introduce 9 new utility vehicles by 2026. The company will introduce 3 new SUVs on the ladder-on-frame chassis, which also underpins the new Thar 3-door. Mahindra will also introduce the XUV900 SUV Coupe codenamed W620, and the next-gen XUV500 5-seater SUV. Adding to it, next-gen XUV300 is also under development and is likely to get hybrid or electric powertrain.
Mahindra is also developing two all-new electric vehicles, which will be launched by 2025-26. The new electric vehicles, codenamed Born EV1 and Born EV2, will be based on the new Born EV platform. These models will be built from the scratch and won’t be based on the existing ICE powered cars.
Pratap Bose will play an important role in development of these new models. Mahindra is criticised for its polarising SUV design language, and with Bose in house, M&M is aiming to strengthen that part of its operations. The XUV900 SUV Coupe and the next-gen XUV500 could be the first products designed by Pratap Bose.
