In the wake of rising competition from auto brands such as Suzuki and Jeep, Indian car maker Mahindra plans to establish a stronger foothold in the Indian market. To that end, the company has announced four new cars for its 2018 lineup, namely, the XUV500 facelift, XUV700, S201 compact SUV and U321 MPV.

XUV 700. Cartoq

Mahindra XUV700

The car was first showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo and has been given a release date of September or October 2018. As per a report by Cartoq, the XUV 700 will be powered by a 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel engine outputting a peak power of 178 BHP and 420 Nm of torque.

The car will be available with a 7-speed AT gearbox as well as an MT variant. The Mahindra XUV 700 will be priced at Rs 21 lakh and as per the report, it will be in direct competition with Toyota's Fortuner and Jeep's Compass.

Mahindra U321 MPV

Mahindra U231. Cartoq

The Mahindra U321 MPV has been announced as a rival to the Toyota Innova. The car, which is slated for a November or December launch this year, will have a 7-seater capacity along with a lot of premium features. The U231 is going to be a global variant and will be available in various markets, including India.

Mahindra XUV 500 

XUV500 facelift. TeamBHP

The XUV 500 will be launching again this year with a facelift. As a matter of fact, the car will be launching next week, as per the report on Cartoq. Along with the facelift, the interiors of the car will also be changed to become plusher. The top variant of the new XUV500 will also get a more powerful 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine.

Mahindra S201

Mahindra S201. Cartoq

The 4th car in Mahindra's 2018 portfolio is the Mahindra S201 which, as per the report, will rival the Hyundai Creta. The car will be powered by either a turbo-petrol engine that can generate 140 BHP or a turbo-diesel engine that generates 125 BHP.