Mahindra’s new SUV shows concepts can make it to production

Mahindra has just revealed the production version of its angular and heavily-muscled SUV, the BE 6e. While the finished car itself is an exciting step forward for Mahindra design, pushing the brand into new (cooler!) territory, it is also one of the rare examples of a concept car getting the seal of approval with limited changes.

Indeed, viewed in the metal at the studio ahead of the official reveal in India, there was a distinct sense of deja vu. The aggressive bodywork was still there from the original concept, so too the hidden headlamps. The active aero on the front mask and intricate cladding on the sills. Everything that might otherwise be watered down for the means of production were intact, and the design team was clearly over the moon with that fact.

Driving the car out into the daylight (not rolling a model on a trolley this time) the complex surfacing becomes particularly evident. The shoulder line is incredibly defined and ties in with the overall stance of the car – it feels like a Dakar racer.

Bolstered by chunky cladding that wraps around the entire lower section of the car – most noticable on the wheel arches and sills – the body appears to sit a little higher than it really is. Those are 20” wheels, believe it or not. Studio director, Cosimo Amadei, has clearly been able to apply his love for off-roaders with this project. “You don’t get those kind of shoulders on a typical SUV,” he points out. CAD chief Chris Scholes is justifiably pleased with the positive reception.

Inside, and the interior is also effectively unchanged from the original concept, with this pre-production model now sporting the same materials and finishes as cars that will be hitting the dealership. “There’s been a real focus on getting perceived quality right for production,” noted exterior lead Paven Patel. The touchscreen was now fully funcitoning, as was the sound system, demonstrated gleefully by chief interior designer Phil Gilman who pelted out Queens of the Stone Age.

We were particularly pleased to see the exoskeleton-style centre console and brutalist gear shifter still in place, the former inspired by protective Formula E ‘halo’. The fabric pull handles, inspired by race cars, were expected to be a novelty addition to the concept, but they too have made it through to production. “We wanted details, but it’s not about being bling and shouting about it,” notes Simon Clark, chief of studio engineering.

Elsewhere in the cabin, there is a pleasant mix of materials but not so many that it feels busy or overwhelming. CMF chief David Hopwood, who could not make it on the day, had previously spoken about the importance of “being authentic” when it came to materials. “If it’s plastic, it looks like plastic,” he explains.

The team believes all this was possible by having the same group of people working across the concept and production car, orchestrated by chief design and creative officer Pratap Bose who helped to manage the project across the UK and India studios. There was no handover, no transferal of power to a dedicated production team with different ideas. The team that worked on the initial concept saw it through to sign off.

Alongside this rugged off-roader is the XEV 9E, a little more conservative in its design but still carrying similar proportions and cues. Think of it as the more mature, older brother of the BE. This is most evident with its upright face and softer surfacing, and in the interior, which feels more in line with a traditional SUV.

The two brands are both under the Mahindra umbrella, and in general terms could be thought of as Honda versus Acura, or Vauxhall versus Opel. Both utilise the INGLO electric powertrain, available with either 59 kWh and 79 kWh battery packs based on LFP chemistry. With a 175 kW DC fast charger, a 20-80% zap and dash can be done in 20 minutes. Wouldn’t want to do that too frequently, though. It gets expensive. We digress…

Just as Dacia has undergone something of a revamp, the BE 6e in particular adds a crucial new element to Mahindra as a brand. That is not to say Mahindra was not desirable. before, but certainly for European tastes – where we expect the car to eventually go on sale – a striking look like this would surely do well amid the sea of homogenous crossovers.

Bose is not one to mince his words, and gets to the crux of the matter. “When it comes to buying an SUV, it is about heart over mind. If we were being honest, nobody focusses on things like efficiency – although that is important – it’s more about the overall experience.” This helped to define the brand’s new ‘Heartcore’ design language for these SUVs.

“We thought about the five stages of love,” Bose explains. “There is seduction, viewing the exterior and having that initial desire. Then comes intimacy, the touch, feel and smell of the car, the first handshake with the steering wheel. Commitment follows, meaning everything has to work – the space ergonomics, execution – and then the final two points. We considered the ‘many shades of love’ and in this case the importance of colour, and then the idea of undying love through which the customer ends up staying with the brand.”

Well, who would have thought a lesson in the art of seduction was on the cards? Not us, but whatever the team is doing, it is working.