What to expect from Mahindra's Born Electric concept SUVs
Homegrown SUV specialist Mahindra revealed five concept electric SUVs at the brand's European design studio in August last year. The models—XUV.e8, XUV.e9, BE.05, BE.07, and BE.09—slot under the new XUV.e and BE sub-brands and are underpinned by the Indian Global (INGLO) skateboard platform. The company will be displaying the vehicles for the first time in India on February 10.
Why does this story matter?
Much like its arch-rival Tata Motors, Mahindra is also betting big on all-electric cars. Apart from this, the company also represents India in Formula E with its M9Electro Gen3 race car and secured a podium finish in the recently concluded Mexican E-Prix. The carmaker has aptly decides to showcase the cars in India ahead of the mega Hyderabad E-Prix on February 11.
Details about the XUV.e line-up
The XUV.e sub-brand has already witnessed the launch of the XUV400 as a mid-size e-SUV. However, the brand now plans to showcase the XUV.e8 and XUV.e9 as its premium offerings using the brand's all-new INGLO architecture. Both SUVs follow the company's modern design philosophy and are expected to enter production by the end of 2024. They will feature a large 80kWh battery pack.
What is included in BE (Born Electric) range?
The BE sub-brand, unlike the XUV.e, will feature vehicles that are designed from the ground up. The range will initially include BE.05, BE.07, and BE.09 models. They will follow a unique design language with C-shaped LED elements and sharply cut body surfaces. Labeled as Sports Electric Vehicles (SEVs), the concept cars will support Level 2+ autonomous technology and a hi-tech cabin.
INGLO platform
The Indian Global (INGLO) skateboard architecture can support both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations, along with large capacity battery packs between 60kWh and 80kWh capacity. The platform is capable of handling power output of up to 335hp and has fast charging capabilities of up to 175kW.
What to expect at the event?
While most of the details regarding both the XUV.e and BE sub-brands were provided by the homegrown carmaker during the event in August last year, we expect Mahindra to provide more details about the expected timeline as well as some technical details about the upcoming concept cars. The event will be exciting, as it happens just a day ahead of the first-ever Hyderabad E-Prix.
