Mahindra XUV500 Coupe SUV has been caught on camera for the first time and it could go on sale next year to compete with Hyundai Creta
Mahindra & Mahindra introduced the XUV500 back in 2011 and it was the first monocoque SUV produced by the brand. Ten years following its successful reign in the domestic market, Mahindra elected to replace it with the more premium XUV700 and it has emerged as another success story for the homegrown SUV producer. It is available in an expansive range currently.
The XUV500 nameplate has been rumoured to make a comeback and its next generation could be pitched against 4.3-metre long midsize SUVs such as Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, MG Astor, Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq. It will be positioned above the XUV300 and below the XUV700 in the brand’s lineup.
Mahindra was previously vocal about the XUV500 making a return due to its high popularity and the first signs have appeared on the internet. Codenamed S301, it will more likely go on sale next year and the test prototype looks to be in its initial stages of development as well. Next year, Tata is also expected to bring in a Hyundai Creta rival in the form of Curvv.
Moreover, the facelifted Seltos will be launched in the coming days while the prices of the Citroen C3 Aircross and Honda Elevate will be announced next month and in September respectively. The segment leader Creta will receive a big update in early 2024 as well making the competition stiffer than ever.
Back to the test mule caught in a convoy, it has a coupe-like roofline as in the XUV Aero concept but other design elements are in the developmental stage. It could be heavily influenced by the styling language of the XUV700 and perhaps use a similar powertrain lineup in its lower states of tune. In early 2024, Mahindra will introduce the updated XUV300 and five-door Thar in India.
They could be followed by the next-gen Mahindra XUV500 while the XUV700 EV, which could be dubbed the XUV.e8 and BE.05 have also been spotted testing on public roads. The five-seater will more likely be underpinned by the same platform as the XUV300, which, in turn, is derived from SsangYong Tivoli’s X100 architecture, in a similar fashion to the XUV400 electric SUV.