The KUV100 combines aggressive styling and an SUV stance and ample space to accommodate even six people including the driver.

Automobile major Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M) has ventured into a new segment with the introduction of KUV100, a compact SUV targeted at the youth.

With the introduction of this product with a petrol engine and aggressively pricing it to attract first time car buyers and even college students, the company has taken on passenger car market leaders Maruti Suzuki for its Swift and DZire models and Hyundai for its Grand i10 and Astra.

The KUV100 combines aggressive styling and an SUV stance and ample space to accommodate even six people including the driver. The vehicle is available at all Mahindra dealers from Friday and has been priced starting Rs. 4.42 lakh (ex- showroom Pune) for the petrol base model and Rs. 5.22 lakh (ex-showroom Pune) for the base diesel variant.

KUV100’s price is cheaper than its competitors in the market. The vehicle is also fuel efficient. The diesel engine provides a fuel efficiency of 25.32 km/l while the petrol engine provides mileage of 18.15 kms/l.

The vehicle has been developed with an investment of Rs. 1,200 crore and it took four years to come out with the final product including an all new petrol engine. This is the first time that Mahindra has developed a petrol engine on it own.

“The launch of KUV100 is a defining moment in the automotive journey of Mahindra. This vehicle is our first foray into ground up petrol engine and with it we are defining a new SUV sub-segment and targeting a new customer group,” said Dr Pawan Goenka, Executive Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

“Yet another ‘Make in India’ product, the KUV100 aptly represents our ‘Rise’ philosophy in action, as our development team used alternative thinking and challenged the limits to deliver a vehicle that is poised to be nothing less than a game changer for us. We are entering a new orbit and hope to deliver yet another icon (after Scorpio and XUV500), yet another dream SUV,” Dr Goenka added.

KUV100 which stands for Compact Utility Vehicle will be available in seven colours and Mahindras are working on a financing scheme to enable college students to buy this vehicle.

“Being a market leader in SUV space it has always been our endeavour to offer breakthrough products like the KUV100. I believe that this vehicle will appeal to the youth and first time car buyers with its aggressive styling, trendy interiors and the whole list of new features,” Pravin Shah, president & Chief Executive (automotive) M&M said.

This is the 9th vehicle to have been introduced by Mahindra in this financial year. With this vehicle Mahindra intends to gain volume and marketshare which it had lost in the past two years amidst steep competition from all passenger car makers.