Mahindra Quanto and Xylo could be refreshed shortly

Mahindra’s slow-sellers, the Quanto and Xylo, could get refreshed soon

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has 4 products that are doing well at the hustings: Bolero, Scorpio, Thar and the XUV500. The India car and utility vehicle maker also has many duds/als0-rans to show for in the form of the Mahindra Reva E2O, the Verito, the Quanto and the Xylo.  Although Mahindra has a presence in two hot segments: compact SUV (Quanto) and the MPV (Xylo), it hasn’t managed to crack these segments as the competition has proven to be too hot to handle. Also see: Upcoming facelifted Mahindra Scorpio rendered!

Mahindra has plans of turning around the fortunes of the Quanto and the Xylo in the coming months. The 7 seats of the Quanto may be replaced by a more spacious 5 seat layout. This is a step that is required given the fact that the 7 seat Quanto isn’t as comfortable as a 5 seat variant, whose second row can be reclined further. Styling remains a hit-or-miss area, and we don’t see how M&M can remedy that in a limited time frame.

With competition, read Ford EcoSport-Renault Duster-Nissan Terrano, offering better fit, finish and refinement levels, value-for-money and spacious insides remain the two major selling points of the Quanto. Since the Quanto is built on a shortened body-on-ladder frame borrowed from the Xylo, the compact SUV is unusually heavy when compared to its competition. Therefore, Mahindra would need a thorough re-engineering to make the Quanto a better bet for the buyer.

Road Tests: Xylo review & Quanto review

For now, a decision to discontinue the Mahindra Quanto hasn’t been taken. The upcoming S101 compact SUV, which will hit the Indian market in 2014, could hasten the Quanto’s discontinuation if sales don’t improve after a facelift/upgrade. While Mahindra has updated the Xylo a couple of years ago with a comprehensive facelift, the MPV could get another stab at a facelift given the fact that the Innova received one recently.

Mahindra Quanto: Video Review

Also, the competition in the MPV segment has increased many fold with the likes of the Ashok Leyland Stile, Chevrolet Enjoy and Maruti Suzuki Ertiga being launched in India. In the coming year, the Honda Mobilio and the Datsun Go+ MPVs will be launched here. So, Mahindra clearly needs to do things differently with the Xylo as well. Exact details are likely to become known in the coming months.