Mahindra’s U321 Premium MPV (Ertiga & Innova rival): New render plus other details

Mahindra has been testing the U321 MPV on Indian roads from the last 2 years. The automaker will finally launch the vehicle in early 2018. The U321 MPV is expected to be showcased at the 2018 Indian Auto Expo, which could also be the venue and event for its launch. Here is a render that shows how it could look like from AutoCar India.

The vehicle is expected to be priced between the Maruti Ertiga and the Toyota Innova Crysta. This sweet spot in pricing is meant to allow the U321 to carve out a niche for itself. It’s a monocoque bodied MPV, which makes it more similar to the Ertiga than the Innova Crysta.

The U321 will be much larger than the Ertiga, making it an Innova Crysta challenger in terms of the amount of space offered. It will offer a minimum of 7 seats, and an 8 seat cab oriented variant is also likely. The vehicle will be powered by a 1.6 liter turbocharged diesel engine, an all-new engine that Mahindra has developed in association with its South Korean acquisition Ssangyong. It is expected to drive the front wheels of the U321. The engine could be offered with manual and automatic gearbox options. Mahindra is also expected to offer and petrol engine with the new MPV.

The U321 will be much more stylish and refined than the Xylo, Mahindra’s other people mover currently in the market. It will have upmarket interiors and up to date infotainment features like Android Auto and touchscreen navigation. It is expected to be more like the XUV500 in terms of features offered. The vehicle’s pricing is expected to be in the range of 10-15 lakhs.

It will be the third all-new monocoque vehicle Mahindra has developed for the Indian market, after the KUV100 and the XUV500. The U321 will be a global product, and Mahindra’s North American development center has played a major role in the design and development of this MPV.

Via ACI