Mahindra announced its comprehensive electric vehicle (EV) plan in August last year when the carmaker unveiled its new range of EV prototypes at a private event in the UK. Among the multiple prototypes unveiled, the XUV.e8 garnered a lot of attention primarily due its familiarity with the XUV700.
A test mule of the upcoming electric SUV was spied on Indian roads recently. The latest model was reportedly clicked at the Chennai-Bengaluru highway. Despite wearing a heavy camouflage, the test mule revealed some new details of the upcoming EV.
Mahindra XUV.e8 spied: Exterior
The latest spy images confirm that the XUV.e8 will be an all-electric equivalent to XUV700. It gets a very familiar stance and side profile. In fact, the rear section seems to be a carbon copy of the XUV700 with highlights such as arrow-shaped LED tail lamps, rear wiper, shark-fin antenna, bumper and a high-mounted stop lamp. The only difference being the absence of a tailpipe.
The only significant styling distinction is at the front with a completely redesigned fascia featuring a sealed-off nose with a connected LED light bar across the bonnet and a vertically stacked LED headlamp on the bumper. The front bumper itself seems reprofiled housing a sleek air dam.
Mahindra XUV.e8 spied: Interior
Previous spy shots of the XUV.e8 revealed a three-screen setup including a central touchscreen infotainment system, an all-digital instrument cluster, and the one on the far left for the co-driver. The latest spy shots reveal centre console layout identical to the XUV700 housing a rotary dial for different drive or terrain modes. Rest of the visual details aren’t clear in the latest set of spy shots.
Mahindra XUV.e8 spied: Specs
Although the design of XUV.e8 is based on XUV700, underneath it is completely different from the ICE SUV. The XUV.e8 is underpinned by Mahindra’s Born Electric INGLO architecture which will feature electric motors sourced from Volkswagen. It will be available in both front-wheel and all-wheel drive setup, the latter getting a motor on each axle with peak power ranging between 227 and 345 bhp.
It is likely to come equipped with an 80kWh battery that will be good enough to offer a single-charge range of over 500 km. In terms of dimensions, XUV.e8 will measure 4,740mm in length with a wheelbase of 2,762mm.
Image Source: Team BHP
