Mahindra Marazzo: 8 Things To Know About The Upcoming MPV

Mahindra will take on the premium MPV segment with its new people mover that will come before Diwali 2018

1. Name - Marazzo

Codenamed U321, the series production version of Mahindra’s upcoming MPV is called the ‘Marazzo.’ Mahindra has coined the name from a sub-Spanish language, Basque, where it means ‘shark.’ Mahindra says that the Marazzo’s design is inspired by a shark. 

2. No Lineage

Mahindra says that the Marazzo is neither a replacement model nor a spiritual successor of any previous Mahindra offering - the Xylo in particular. It is, rather, a brand new product aiming to target private MPV buyers. The Marazzo is also the first-ever product that Mahindra has co-developed with its North American subsidiary, Mahindra North American Technical Centre (MNATC). 

3. New platform 

The Mahindra Marazzo is underpinned by a brand new platform. At launch, it will become the third monocoque-based offering developed in-house by Mahindra after the XUV500 and the KUV100. Presumably, the Mahindra Marazzo will be compatible with the government's upcoming 2020 crash test norms.

4. Competition - No direct rival!

The MPV segment may not have as many sub-segments or options as SUVs but it’s still quite diversified. On the one hand, there’s the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and on the other, there’s the Toyota Innova Crysta/Touring Sport. Renault also offers the Lodgy in between. While the Ertiga is one of the highest selling MPVs, the Lodgy is not as popular. With the Marazzo, Mahindra is expected to hit a sweet spot between the Ertiga and Innova Crysta as far as the price is concerned. If that happens, the Marazzo won’t have a direct price rival MPV and will be in a segment of its own.

MPV	Prices (ex-Delhi)
Maruti Suzuki Ertiga	Rs 6.33-10.69 lakh
Renault Lodgy	Rs 8.33-11.81 lakh
Mahindra Marazzo (expected)	~ Rs 10-14 lakh
Toyota Innova Crysta/Touring Sport	Rs 14.34-22.70 lakh

5. Feature rich  

As per the official sketches released by Mahindra, the Marazzo packs projector headlamps, daytime running LEDs placed around the fog lamp housing, tail lamps with LED elements, perforated faux leather upholstery, premium-looking blue and purple backlit cabin illumination, colour multi-info screen and a bus-like running AC unit for the second and third row.  

As it is believed to be a more premium offering than the Ertiga and the Lodgy, the Marazzo is expected to borrow several features from the XUV500, like the 7-inch infotainment system with Android Auto support and Mahindra telematic services along with an app suite. It might also offer auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, ambient lighting, static bending headlamps, tyre pressure monitoring system and push button start-stop. 

6. A Spacious 7-/8-seater

Mahindra says that the Marazzo will have the largest footprint of any Mahindra offering yet. So, we expect it to be a spacious offering. Mass-market 7- and 8-seater MPVs like the Ertiga don’t offer a very practical third row for adults. A generous third row can be a USP of the Marazzo.

7. Diesel only offering 

The Mahindra Marazzo will only offer a diesel engine at the time of launch, while a petrol-powered version is still under development. Mahindra didn’t reveal the details about its diesel engine apart from the fact that it will ‘virtually’ be a new engine. It could possibly be Mahindra’s reworked 1.5-litre diesel, which is likely to power the upcoming S201 sub-4m SUV as well.  

8. Launch 

The Mahindra Marazzo is expected to be launched in September 2018, right before the upcoming festive season. It will largely go up against the upcoming second-gen Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, which is also expected to be introduced around Diwali 2018.

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