Mahindra SUV TUV300 launched at Rs 6.9 lakh

Zee Media Bureau

Homegrown auto major Mahindra & Mahindra on Thursday launched its new compact SUV named TUV300 in India with a price tag starting at Rs 6.9 lakh (ex-showroom Pune).

A compact sub-four metre SUV, M&M is positioning the TUV300 as a "a true blue SUV" and is expected to compete with the likes of Toyota Etios Cross, Hyundai 120 Active and Fiat Avventura which are priced at a range of Rs 6.23 lakh and Rs 8.89 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

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TUV300, which comes only with a diesel engine, is priced up to Rs 9.12 lakh for the top-end variant which showcases the AMT (auto gear shift) technology.

With TUV300, the company aims to strengthen its presence in the compact SUV segment. Quanto, another small SUV from the company's stable, has not been able to create sizable presence in the market.

The company is targeting to address needs of those customers who are looking for a pure SUV in the compact segment, which at present is dominated by crossover models.

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M&M had introduced a compact SUV Quanto in 2012 but it did not meet with the success that other models from the company such as the XUV500 and Scorpio had.

Watch More (In Pics) -Mahindra SUV TUV300

The design of the Mahindra TUV300 has been inspired by a battle tank with raised shoulders, high front nose, flat roof, high ground clearance and straight bonnet, the company said.

The TUV300 is an all-new SUV platform. It has been designed and developed in-house by the Mahindra design team. The research and development of Mahindra TUV300 has been carried out at the Mahindra Research Valley in Chennai, the company said.

The vehicle will be manufactured at the company's manufacturing facility at Chakan, where it also produces trucks and other vehicles of Maxximo platform.