Mahindra launches Marazzo

Indian automaker Mahindra and Mahindra on Monday launched their new utility vehicle the ‘Marazzo’, with the manufacturer claiming this is the first vehicle designed for India in Detroit with Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA) and Mahindra Research Valley (MRV) Chennai participtaing in its development.

The vehicle, which will effectively replace the Xylo, was designed in partnership with Italian design firm Pininfarina, which was acquired by Mahindra last year.

The Marazzo is inspired by sharks and has a ‘shark teeth’ design on the grille and shark tail inspired taillights which the manufacturer believes will be a head-turner. It also features a patented ‘body-on-frame front wheel drive’ architecture, which it claims will give the car agile handling performance. It features three rows, and can be bought in both seven and eight seat variants.

The car will be powered by a new 1.5 litre engine from the carmaker which will have an power output of 121 horsepower and 300Nm of torque. There will be four variants, all of which will feature Anti-Lock Brakes and dual-front airbags as standard, with the new safety norms coming in next year. The top models will also feature an 18-cm touchscreen infotainment system.

With the market leader in the seven seat category being Toyota-Kirloskar’s Innova Crysta, which is slightly larger and has a bigger engine, the Marazzo undercuts the Japanese vehicle in terms of price significantly. Prices start at `9.99 lakh and go up to `13.99 lakh.