The Mahindra S204 and Ford B745 will reportedly be launched in the second half of next year and they will use 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines
Mahindra and Ford announced the formation of a new joint venture late last year as they agreed to work on various field and take advantage of each other’s strengths in different areas. The relationship will give way to a slew of SUVs in the coming years and first in line is expected to be a C-segment SUV having plenty in common with the next-gen Mahindra XUV500 bound for early 2021.
The partnership will spawn two SUVs for each brand that are developed for domestic as well as global markets. A recent report emerged on the internet sheds more light on the Ford C-SUV along with information on the B-SUV duo arriving at a later time. The B-segment SUV for Mahindra will slot below the second generation XUV500 and the all-new Ford C-SUV.
The Mahindra project has been internally codenamed the S204 while the Ford’s version is called as the B745. They will have an overall length of around 4.3 metres and just as the second-gen XUV500 and its Ford derivate, it will have a monocoque chassis. It will enable front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations and thus expect an expansive range targetting a wide range of customers.
Since the production-spec Mahindra B-SUV will slot between the XUV300 and XUV500, the chances of it carrying the XUV400 nameplate are very high reportedly. Just as the upcoming Mahindra XUV500 and Ford C-SUV, the B-SUVs will have several commonalities. Besides being underpinned by the same architecture, the powertrains and other mechanical elements will also be similar.
They will be powered by the 1.5-litre turbocharged G15 four-cylinder petrol engine with direct injection technology. Part of Mahindra’s mStallion family, it will have a maximum power output of 163 horsepower and it can also be found under the bonnet of the SsangYong Korando sold internationally. The 1.5-litre D15 diesel engine powering the Marazzo MPV could also be employed in the Mahindra S204 and Ford B745.
The B-segment duo will be launched in India sometime in FY2022 (around the second half of 2021). The report also indicates that the Ford EcoSport will gain a new turbocharged petrol engine in the form of a 1.2-litre unit and it will likely be introduced in the early stages of next year. The same unit kicks out 109 bhp and 200 Nm and is paired with a six-speed manual transmission in the XUV300.
*Pics for reference only