In the first major upgrade in 12 years, M&M on Thursday rolled out its new-generation flagship sports utility vehicle, the Scorpio, built on a completely new chassis and platform. It took Mahindra four years to develop the car, which will be used for future models as well.
?If it ain’t broke, dont fix it. Scorpio ain’t broke, we are just making it better,? said Anand Mahindra, chairman and managing director, Mahindra Group.
?This is a brand new product and not a refresh as it is on a new platform. We decided in 2009 to go in for a new product than a refresh. We have invested Rs 250 crore (on the vehicle and the platform) and this platform will be used for future vehicles as well,? said Pawan Goenka, executive director, Mahindra & Mahindra.
The company has also priced the car aggressively (Rs 7.98 lakh-11.44 lakh; ex-showroom, Mumbai).
For M&M, the Scorpio has been a best-seller since its inception in 2002. In the last three years, the company has managed to sell an average of 50,000 Scorpios each year despite the rising competitiveness in the segment.
?The Scorpio has met our expectations every time. We are prepared for any kind of volume though anything above 4,000 vehicles is a good number in this segment,? said Goenka.
