India’s 76th Independence day was a special day for Mahindra & Mahindra as well. On this day, the homegrown brand unveiled its new INGLO (Indian Global) EV platform and 5 electric SUVs under two EV brands, showcasing its vision for the future of electric mobility. Mahindra says the electric SUVs will come with cutting-edge technology, through the three key strategic pillars of Brand, Design and Technology. The first of the two brands is the XUV with the now popular Twin Peak logo in Copper while the other one is an all-new electric-only brand called BE. The five e-SUVs are the XUV.e8, XUV.e9, BE.05, BE.07 and BE.09. The first four of these will be launched between 2024 and 2026.
The INGLO platform on which these cars will be made will come with progressive battery technology, platform architecture, brain power and human machine interface. The platform will underpin all the Mahindra EVs going forward. According to Mahindra, it also offers class-leading safety standards, exciting performance, excellent range and efficiency, good driving dynamics, versatility and intelligent human machine interface. It also delivers a multi-sensorial driving experience with a futuristic, augmented reality-enabled heads-up display, edge-to-edge screen, 5G network capability. The first car that will be launched in December 2024 is the XUV.e8. In many ways it will be the electrified version of the popular XUV 700. It will get an intelligent all-wheel drive system along with a sophisticated cabin. Mahindra says it will offer supreme ride comfort both on and off the road. Next will be the XUV.e9 that will launch in April 2025. It will come with a silhouette of a coupe and panoramic sky roof and could look something like the XUV 500 Aero that was shown at the Auto Expo in Delhi a few years ago. The first of the BE launches will be the BE.05 that will launch in October 2025. Mahindra says it will be a Sports Electric Vehicle (SEV) in the truest sense, making it a category in itself. The car will come with a racing inspired design complemented by multi-sensory experiences. Following this will be the BE.07 that will launch in October 2026 and will be more of a family car. The final car is the BE.09 which will be a SUV grand tourer with a chiselled design, dynamic roof and solid stance. Launch date of this car has not been confirmed by the company. These electric vehicles from Mahindra will follow a common battery pack design with lean modules and standardised cell-to-pack technology using two different cell architectures – Blade and Prismatic. While the battery capacity options will range between 60-80 kWhr, the cars will come with a 175 kW fast-charge system that will charge them up to 80% in less than 30 minutes. They will be offered with both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive models and power generated will be between 170-210 kW and 250-290 kW respectively. Mahindra is promising between 5 and 6 seconds to reach speeds of 100 kmph from stationary. According to the company, the powertrain is optimised to offer class-leading range. The company is promising great dynamics with these cars. Along with a semi-active suspension system, the cars will offer enhanced handling and an immersive sporty drive experience. Along with these you will also get a dual-pinion high-power steering system for light steering efforts and brake-by-wire technology that allows multiple brake modes for pedal feel and recuperation. The cars will also come with drive modes that will alter powertrain response, suspension response, brake feel, electronic stability control intervention and many more features at the touch of a button. Finally, there’s the all-important matter of safety. Mahindra says the new electric SUVs are designed to meet the highest vehicle safety norms such as GNCAP and not just limited to regulatory compliance. All the e-SUVs will come with a structural cage around the passenger cabin specially designed for reduced passenger injury. The new e-SUVs are tested at the world’s largest battery development and testing centre. With 5 Radars-1 Vision ADAS architecture, INGLO is futureproofed up to L2+ autonomy.
The author is a senior editor at carandbike.com.
The INGLO platform on which these cars will be made will come with progressive battery technology, platform architecture, brain power and human machine interface.