Mahindra & Mahindra at its recent annual earnings meet announced a slew of developments for the next five years. The two biggest highlights were boosting of the company’s Chakan-based production facility and development of a brand new vehicle platform. Called the New Flexible Architecture (NFA), this platform will underpin a plethora of models.
One of the most interesting prospects is a new generation model of Bolero. The Bolero is Mahindra’s oldest-running model which has practically remained unchanged for the last two and a half decades, barring a few minor updates. However, the Bolero might finally get its first major upgrade in the form of a full overhaul.
First launched in 2000, Bolero was Mahindra’s first SUV to be fully designed in-house and the first model to incorporate a diesel engine with direct injection technology. Underpinned by an old-school ladder-on-frame chassis, the Bolero may make a huge transition if it is built on the new NFA platform. As per our previous report, the NFA is most likely to be a monocoque chassis.
It was also reported that the NFA will make its debut on 15 August this year, underpinning a concept model. We believe that the upcoming Bolero can be showcased as a concept during this event. In the recent earning’s presentation, Mahindra revealed that for the next calendar year, the company will launch three new SUVs powered by combustion engines and two battery-powered models including two mid-cycle updates.
Next-gen Mahindra Bolero: What to expect?
If these developments turn out to be true, then the Bolero is expected to undergo a massive overhaul. While Mahindra will try to retain the signature boxy design of the existing Bolero, visually the new model will be unmistakably different from its predecessor. Known to be a household name for small and medium businesses across the wide demographic of India, Bolero is best known for its rock solid build quality and Mahindra will not compromise on this.
At the same time, Bolero is detested by urban buyers mostly for its outdated equipment and sub-standard safety. Mahindra will most likely address both these issues with the new-gen model. Although Bolero hasn’t been tested for its safety yet, its identical sibling — Bolero Neo — was crash tested by Global NCAP where it scored an unsatisfactory 1-star rating.
It should also be noted that the Bolero name is available on a wide range of vehicles including the SUV, a pickup truck, and a camper vehicle. The Bolero SUV range consistently achieves average monthly sales of 8,000 to 9,000 units, contributing around 20 percent to the company’s overall sales. It will be interesting to see if the other forms of Bolero adopt the new NFA platform.
The other big development is the introduction of a battery-powered Bolero. We already know that the multi-energy NFA platform can house a wide range of powertrains including petrol, diesel, hybrid and fully-electric. This opens the door for a fully-electric Bolero as well. Codenamed U171, the next-gen Bolero could make its debut sometime next year or year after. More details on this project can be expected in the coming months.