Mahindra set to take covers off TUV3OO tomorrow

While details of price will be announced tomorrow, M&M is expected to launch the SUV at around Rs 7 lakh

Home-grown utility vehicle specialist Mahindra & Mahindra is all set to launch an all-new vehicle TUV3OO on Thursday, after a gap of nearly 12 months when it launched the new generation Scorpio in September last year.

Based on all-new platform the TUV3OO is M&M's rival to Ford EcoSport, Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano and the newly launched Hyundai Creta. While details of price will be announced tomorrow M&M is expected to launch the SUV at around Rs 7 lakh.

Though details about the vehicle remain undercover but as per sketches released by M&M the vehicle's design, which is heavily inspired by a battle tank, is one which will stand out from the rest of the pack.

Where the EcoSport, Duster, Terrano and Creta flaunt curvy edges and sporty urban looks Mahindra's TUV3OO is boxy, drawing design elements from its hugely successful elder cousin Bolero, the war horse of the rural landscape.

The TUV3OO will have large windows, high front nose, flat roof, high ground clearance, sporty rear, large alloy wheels and straight bonnet. On the inside the vehicle is expected to get design set up from the XUV500 perhaps with a dual tone theme. It will have audio bluetooth telephony controls on the steering wheel with silver garnish.

M&M has designed and developed the TUV3OO in-house with inputs from the famed Italian design powerhouse Pininfarina. The Mumbai-based company is separately pursuing the buy-out of Pininfarina negotiations for which is under progress, as per media reports.

Though M&M executives have declined to share engine details of the new vehicle, being a sub-4 meter product means it will sport engines within the specified limits (less than 1.5 litre diesel).

The engine, mated to a 5-speed gearbox, will be based on the mHawk engine architecture and will be called the mHawk80, which has been designed at the Mahindra Research Valley in Chennai.

No details have emerged on whether the TUV3OO will sport a compact gasoline engine which could have marked M&M's entry into the petrol pack. Each of TUV3OO's challengers sport a petrol engine besides the regular diesel. However, M&M's other offering, slated for later in the year, will get a petrol engine.

However the big draw for the TUV3OO will be the automated manual transmission (AMT) which is not offered by any of its rivals. Seen on hatchbacks like the Maruti Celerio, Maruti Alto, Tata Zest and Tata Nano this will be the first time that an AMT will be seen on an SUV. An AMT enhance ease of driving in congested city driving conditions, even resulting in better mileage than manual.