Indian automobile manufacturer and SUV specialist, Mahindra & Mahindra, continues to laugh all the way to the bank thanks to the high demand for diesel powertrains. With many companies switching to petrol, hybrid and electric vehicles, diesel vehicles remain the heart and soul of Mahindra’s January sales figures. Let’s dissect the numbers model-wise and see what customers prefer.
Mahindra Scorpio Classic and Scorpio N
The Scorpio portfolio is the cash cow for Mahindra. The Scorpio range includes both the Classic and the N. According to the sales figures shared by Mahindra, the Scorpio brand registered 14,293 units in total. If we deep dive into the break of the unit sales, the diesel powertrains accounted for 13,528 units and petrol only 765 units. This shows that almost 95 per cent of Scorpio customers prefer the oil burner over the petrol. One must remember that only the Scorpio N is available in a petrol engine. In January 2023, the Scorpio range managed to sell 8,061 diesel units and 654 petrol.
| Engines | January 2023 | January 2024 |
| Diesel | 8,061 | 13,528 |
| Petrol | 654 | 765 |
Mahindra Thar
Thar customers also preferred the diesel model, hence, Mahindra managed to sell a total of 6,059 units in January 2024. Like the Scorpio, the Thar sales numbers were dominated by diesel options, which clocked 5,402 units, while the petrol managed 657 units. At the Mahindra Q3 results event, Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director and CEO at Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) revealed, “The Thar rear-wheel-drive has the longest waiting period of around 8 to 10 months.”
| Engines | January 2023 | January 2024 |
| Diesel | 4,076 | 5,402 |
| Petrol | 334 | 657 |
Mahindra XUV700
Compared to both the Scorpio and the Thar, the XUV700 has a more balanced petrol and diesel sales break up. Even in the case of the Mahindra flagship SUV, the diesel powertrains continue to outsell the petrol. In January 2024, the XUV700 registered 5,217 diesel units as compared to 1,989 units. Compared to January 2023, the XUV700 clocked 4,412 diesel vehicles and 1,375 petrol units.
| Engines | January 2023 | January 2024 |
| Diesel | 4,412 | 5,217 |
| Petrol | 1,375 | 1,989 |
