Mahindra launched the Verito Vibe today, which is neither a hatchback, nor a sedan, it is instead a fusion of both. The company was shaken up when the government slapped SUV tax on most of its vehicles. Thus Mahindra is planning to do an onslaught of sub 4-metre cars. The Quanto was Mahindra’s first compact vehicle and the Verito Vibe is the second. Many more products are being developed to take advantage of the sub 4-metre excise duty norm, like the S101 and S102 sub compact SUVS.
At the launch of the Verito Vibe today, Mahindra revealed plans of launching another product based on the Verito platform, which essentially is Renault’s. The Verito is a re-badged Logan which has been given updates over the years. The new Verito based vehicle will be launched next year and is likely to share the same front-end styling with the Verito. Other parts which are certainly going to be shared are the engines, underpinnings, dashboard and seats. No details were revealed on what this vehicle is going to be. Mahindra will also launch an electric version of the Verito next year, powered by REVA technology.
So what could Mahindra launch based on the Verito? There are quite a few options but we can rule out some of them. We are surely not getting a Verito station wagon as such body styles are not popular in India. However looking at the market conditions, we can expect Mahindra to make a crossover version of the Verito Vibe, which could be similar to the Skoda Fabia Scout and Volkswagen Cross Polo. The Verito Vibe will higher ground clearance, bigger wheels and muscular bits could appeal to a few people.
