Mahindra & Mahindra has emerged as one of the biggest carmakers in the Indian vehicle market. The manufacturer also stated that it aims to enter the electric car industry as well. Following the announcement of the prices for the all-new Mahindra XUV700, the company intends to introduce an electric version of it. By 2026, the brand plans to introduce nine new SUVs to the market, including electric and regular models.
According to recent media sources, the Mahindra XUV700 electric vehicle has already received its first prototype. However, the cars are not yet roadworthy. But engineers at the automaker appear to be testing the machine in order to build a sophisticated EV. The prototype is propelled by a huge 54 kWh battery pack. While there has been no official word from Mahindra, rumours have it that the car will be released before the end of next year.
The homegrown maker is also working on another vehicle, which will most likely be termed the XUV900. It is a four-door SUV-coupe, comparable to the XUV Aero. It will be based on the all-new XUV700. As the brand wants to work aggressively in the EV sector, we can safely assume that the electric XUV700 will be produced really soon. But the global scarcity of semiconductors could be a big issue for manufacturers as electric vehicles use many more semiconductors.
Moreover, the company has showcased two models, eKUV100 and eXUV300, for 2020 at the Delhi Auto Expo. Both electric cars have electric powertrain variants of their internal combustion engine (ICE) equivalents. Also, these two were scheduled for 2021 but were postponed to 2023. The reason behind the delay is the COVID-19 pandemic situation as well as a global shortfall of semiconductor chips. According to industry analysts, the semi-conductor deficit may last until 2022, which would be highly catastrophic for the automotive sector as a whole.