M&M to roll out 4 new platforms from 2015

Mahindra Research Valley (MRV), Chennai, the key research wing of $16.2-billion Mahindra Group, is developing four new platforms for the group's automotive business. The platforms are for small commercial, utility, special utility and light commercial vehicles.

Pawan Goenka, executive director and president (automotive and farm equipment), Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, told Business Standard that the works to develop vehicles in four platforms were being taken up in the valley and they (vehicles based on the new platforms) would be launched from 2015.

MRV is also working on a light commercial vehicle, which will be based on a new platform. "This will completely be a new vehicle. Works have been started and it will take around three-and-a-half years to launch the product, which will take on Tata's offerings," Goenka said.
 

He, however, refused to share more details on the new platforms. Anything below 3.5 tonne is designed at MRV and above 3.5 tonne will be at Pune, he added.

"Truly, this is the centre of excellence for bringing out new innovative products. It also helps to shorten the development cycle," he said. Mahindra's entire tractor and automotive (not truck and two-wheelers) are being developed in this valley, located at Maramallai Nagar on the outskirts of Chennai.

Spread across 124 acre, of which 25 acre to set up a design lab, workshops and others, is located inside Mahindra World City, which is also the major home for companies like BMW, Timken and Husky.

Some of the successful products which were developed at MRV include Mahindra XUV 500, Quanto and Verito. The tractor segment includes Arjun 605 inline pump and Mahindra 5530.

With 2,500 people engineers in this facility, which was inaugurated about five years ago, it has so far filed 250 patents in India and over 50 abroad.

The MRV will soon have a test track for tractors and a technical academy meant for capacity building.