Mahindra mulling Ssanyong Tivoli for India

The Ssangyong Tivoli is scheduled to go on sale in Korea around June. It will rival the likes of the Skoda Yeti and the Renault Duster in international markets, and is expected to be an attractive and strong option for customers looking for a good value-for-money compact SUV. Now, the carmaker is considering the Tivoli for the Indian market too.

The Tivoli comes with a 124bhp, 1.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine or a 113bhp 1.6-litre diesel. Transmission options include a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic. The Tivoli can either be had as a 4x2 or a 4x4.

Although still in the pipeline, if Mahindra actually works to bring the Tivoli here, it is likely to equip the car with the new 1.5-litre diesel being developed in-house. The engine once ready will be carried in Mahindra's new compact SUV (U301), and plunking it in the Tivoli will help keep costs in check, as the engines come from the same family.

This crossover is around 4.2m long, has an aggressively designed cabin, and gets plenty of features. This throws up the challenge of positioning it in our market — priced higher than the Duster, the Tivoli could end up competing against Mahindra’s own XUV 500. To avoid this, Mahindra might consider positioning the Tivoli as a premium crossover, over the likes of the Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano and the Ford Ecosport.

However, going up against heavyweights in the burgeoning crossover segment at a pricepoint higher than competition, could end up becoming an uphill task for the Tivoli. If and when launched in a market like ours, cost feasibility will indeed be key.

Comments

2018 Lamborghini Urus India review, test drive

On first introduction, it’s a recipe for intimidation. It’s claimed to be the fastest SUV in the world (0-100kph in 3.6sec and a top speed of 305kph puts it nearly in supercar territory), and it’s made by Lamborghini – creator of some of the most savage vehicles on the market. Things – as with any Lamborghini, for that matter – would be a lot less daunting if we were driving on a smooth European country road, a wide motorway, or even a race track. But today we’re driving the Urus on a narrow ghat road, as well as through some heavy Pune traffic. Perhaps the intention was to demonstrate that this is the first Lamborghini ever to go on sale in India that truly works in our conditions – but still, I doubt they accounted for rush hour. It’s requisitely mad to look at, employing as many ‘sporty’ design tropes to an SUV body style as possible – the only thing missing is a massive wing on the back; and somehow, it works. It’s ...

What to avoid during a car service

When it comes to getting their cars serviced at authorised outlets, owners usually go the whole hog. They want their cars coming out of service centres looking brand new, and are willing to pay for it. But do service centres take undue advantage of this? Yes, they do. Servicing may involve changing certain parts and oils after a set interval, but service centres will almost always try to plug in a few extras using technical jargon that a layman may not really understand. Certain processes are completely unnecessary, and customers end up paying extra as they are not aware of what's important and what's not. Also, most of the times, the service associate will throw you a hard sales pitch, and it's not always done with your best interests in mind. So what exactly are the things you don’t really need and should avoid? Engine flushing Flushing an engine simply means cleaning the impure oil and gunk that ...

Honda City facelift India launch on February 14

Honda will launch the refreshed City sedan in the Indian market on February 14, 2017. The carmaker has started accepting bookings for the updated sedan with the booking amount set at Rs 21,000. The Honda City had long been the best seller in the segment, though in recent months the Maruti Ciaz has risen to the challenge, outselling the City in certain months last year. And with rivals such as Skoda having recently given the Rapid a facelift, and Volkswagen’s near constant updates to the Vento, Honda looks to refresh interest in the City with a facelifted model. Here’s what you can expect from the updated Honda City in India. 1. It sports cosmetic changes: The updated City’s front now gets a Civic-like nose and chin, along with a chrome band running across the grille and spilling over the headlights on both sides. The headlights' shape has been mildly tweaked and now houses LED daytime runn...

Automobilestillnow

Search This Blog