The Indian Navy has achieved a new height of engineering excellence with the INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier. Mahindra has recently become a part of this illustrious journey by driving three of its home-grown SUVs – the XUV300, XUV700, and Scorpio-N – on the flats of INS Vikrant, making them the first vehicles to board the aircraft carrier.
Measuring 262.5mm long and 62.5mm wide and standing almost 18 storeys tall, the INS Vikrant is the first-ever aircraft carrier developed indigenously by India. Its flight deck is almost the size of two football fields, on which the three Mahindra SUVs were driven. In fact, the aircraft carrier is so huge that walking through all its passages and lobbies covers a distance of approximately 12 km. The INS Vikrant is the first of the new aircraft carriers planned by the Ministry of Defence for the Indian Navy, and this collaboration with Mahindra marks the first time an automobile brand has taken its vehicles on board the deck of an aircraft carrier.
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Make in India
While the INS Vikrant is a crown jewel in India’s engineering prowess, the three Mahindra SUVs taken on board are also excellent examples of the “Make in India” initiative. All three SUVs have been developed in India, and have set benchmarks in their respective segments for safety and driving dynamics.
The Mahindra XUV300 is a sub-compact SUV and one of the most affordable products from the UV specialist, available with two powertrain options – a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged 110 PS petrol and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 115 PS diesel engine.
On the other hand, the Mahindra XUV700 and Scorpio-N are midsize SUVs with a different essence. The Scorpio-N is a ladder-on-frame SUV with a rugged appeal, while the XUV700 offers a more sophisticated package with its monocoque frame. Both these SUVs are available with 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol and 2.2-litre diesel engine options, priced almost on par with each other.
All engine options come with a standard six-speed manual transmission. The higher-spec diesel and turbo-petrol engines can also be paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. By default, the Scorpio is rear-wheel drive. The higher-spec diesel models come with all-wheel drive, which includes mechanical rear-locking differentials, an ESP-based brake-locking front differential, an independent front suspension, and a five-link rear suspension.
Mahindra recently launched the Scorpio-N with prices announced for petrol-manual and diesel-manual rear-wheel-drive versions. The petrol-manual combination is available in Z2, Z4, Z8, and Z8 L variants, while the diesel-manual combination is available in all of these variants, with the additional Z6 variant slotted between Z4 and Z8. Both combinations offer the Z8 L variant in either six-seater or seven-seater configurations.
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