When compared to the flamboyant interiors of BE range of electric SUVs, XUV.e range share most of their interiors with XUV700 ICE vehicle
After the first wave of electric cars in the form of e2O, e2O Plus and e-Verito, Mahindra has re-entered electric mobility business with XUV400. But the company has huge ambitions of dedicated BEVs and we will witness many born electric cars. Mahindra XUV.e9 is among them and recent spy shots reveal more information about this upcoming coupe SUV.
Mahindra XUV.e9 Massive Frunk Area Spotted
One appreciable trait of a dedicated electric vehicle is that there will be quite a lot of space under the bonnet owing to platform optimization. On a derived electric vehicle most of the components are shared with their ICE counterpart and relocating them requires extensive re-engineering, which could prove a costly affair.
The same is true with Mahindra’s EVs as well. XUV400 is a derived electric vehicle sharing most of its components with XUV300. Hence there is no Frunk (Front Trunk) or a Froot (Front Boot). The same can’t be said about Mahindra’s new wave of dedicated EVs in the form of XUV.e8, XUV.e9, BE.05, BE.07 and BE.09 or the XUV 7XO, XUV 5XO, XUV 3XO, XUV 1XO.
BE.05, XUV.e8 and XUV.e9 have been spotted testing already. In the recent spy shots of XUV.e9 test mules credited to APK Kavaskar, we can get a sneak peek under the bonnet. We can see generous empty space that Mahindra can engineer into a Frunk or Froot.
We can spot a few rubber sealants on the bonnet hinting that Mahindra is thinking of implementing a small front cargo area. Looking at this area, we would reckon that Mahindra will implement a shallow, but wide and large Frunk or Froot with neat plastic trim. This particular vehicle seems to be an AWD unit and there will be more Frunk or Froot area with RWD model.
What else can we deduce?
Other notable attributes we can spot on this XUV.e9 test mule are twin hydraulic bonnet struts. XUV700 doesn’t get hydraulic bonnet struts even today, which is a shocking omission considering Duster offered it for almost half the price. We can’t ignore the massive road presence of this vehicle.
The Coupe SUV shape grabs a lot of eyeballs, lending a stylish and sophisticated appeal. In one of our previous spy videos, we can see the massive triple-screen layout on the dashboard along with similar AC vents to XUV700. There is a new two-spoke steering wheel too and Mahindra could implement an illuminated logo like revealed in concepts.
Mahindra XUV Coupe full dash length touchscreen spotted pic.twitter.com/nwsqF52MOP
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Other notable attributes include large wheels that might be at least 19-inchers, Goodyear tyres, flush door handles, rear door handles on C-pillars, massive rear LED tail light signature, and large fascia with massive animalistic LED DRLs. The born electric INGLO platform offers battery options between 60 kWh and 80 kWh in capacity along with single-motor and dual-motor AWD drivetrain. Launch is expected by Dec 2024.
