The launch of the compact utility vehicle KUV100 offers Mahindra & Mahindra a foothold in the compact passenger vehicle market where it is yet to make a mark.
By creating a new segment, a compact utility vehicle priced in competition with compact cars and super compact sedans such as the Swift, Grand i10, Dzire and the Amaze, the KUV100 can possibly do for Mahindra what the Logan and the Verito Vibe have not. This gives the utility vehicle manufacturer a line into the biggest segment in passenger vehicles.
Veejay Ram Nakra, Senior Vice President, Sales & Customer Care, Mahindra & Mahindra, said at the launch of the KUV100 in Chennai, priced at ₹ 4.54 lakh for the petrol version and ₹ 5.35 lakh for diesel, the compact SUV is priced lower than some of the compact cars.
Petrol engines dominate in the compact segments which is a reason that the company has opted for a petrol version for its compact sport utility vehicle, he said.
The KUV100 gives it access to the compact and super compact cars where the demand is over one lakh units a month. In passenger vehicles, hatchbacks account for more than 50 per cent of sales, sedans 30 per cent and SUVs 19 per cent. The SUV constitutes an aspiration segment to which buyers hope to graduate from hatchbacks and sedans.
But, with the utility vehicles mostly priced between ₹7 lakh and ₹17 lakh, the segment could be hard to attain for the average buyer.
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