According to unconfirmed reports trickling out of Mahindra dealers in Bangalore, said he has first-hand information that the W201 will be launched on April 14. But we still find this extremely hard to believe. The moment we heard this news, we contacted M&M’s communications department who said that this was not true. But a Bangalore dealer said M&M has organized the venue for the launch already in Bangalore, and that it was confirmed for April 14.
The dealer also said he had been to Mahindra’s regional sales office in Bangalore and had seen a few W201’s parked there, but with the covers on. The area was also out-of-bounds to him. This could mean one of two things. One, M&M has got a few more “test mules” in Bangalore for further road tests. Or two, these are pre-launch vehicles being readied for shipment to dealers just before an impending launch. So far, what we had heard was the W201 launch would take place by Diwali – now we are not so sure.
Mechanics at an authorized service centre in Mumbai also confirmed that the launch was likely very soon. The mechanics said they had been to the M&M factory in Nashik for a training program on servicing the W201. They could not confirm if the vehicle had been given a proper brand name though, saying it did not have the badges on it.
However, we’re taking this bit of news with a piece of salt as an advance notice of a week or so is usually given by car makers especially in case of big launches like the Mahindra W201 World SUV. Meanwhile, the Mahindra W201 World SUV will feature a 2.2 Liter, 138 Bhp, 320 Nm, CRDI Turbo Diesel Engine.
This unit, which is the same unit as that found on the Mahindra Scorpio comes with several modifications to produce more power and torque. The SUV is anticipated to be priced between INR 14-16 Lakhs and we hope that Mahindra learns its lessons from the Tata Aria’s dismal performance due to the high pricing. For now, all we can do is wait and watch whether Mahindra really launches the W201 on the April 14th.
Also see – Mahindra World SUV (W201)
Source – DWS
