Mahindra XUV Aero Coupe Concept Debuts At 2016 Delhi Auto Expo

Heard of crossover-coupes?? Or coupe-SUVs?? We do have a couple of such niche-yet-alluring cars from the German giants in our market. But our home-grown Mahindra had something is mind on those lines too, and here we go - the XUV Aero Coupe Concept with a daring design and host of connected technologies has been unveiled at the just opened 2016 Delhi Auto Expo.

The XUV Aero Coupe concept represents a production-ready flagship model that Mahindra may offer in future for markets including our own. Moreover, crossover-coupes like this one are primarily intended to be a design statement to prove the maker's prowess in conceiving some really cool cars. And as we have seen in the past, Mahindra is well-known for designing cars in unique and unconventional ways, actually they over-do quite a lot of times.

The Aero concept incorporates the styling cues of the XUV 500 in a coupe crossover

Basically, sharply tapered, coupe-like sloping rooflines, and high shoulder line are characteristics of coupe-SUVs. Although the Aero concept inherits styling from the XUV 500, the designers have cleverly incorporated those styling details. In fact, the XUV 500's bulbous and curvy design trait has worked well for the coupe concept.

Besides niche styling with rear suicide doors, the Aero concept previews some interesting connected technologies such as BlueSense (Bluetooth-enabled) system, and a voice-assisted, Siri-like system for air-con and cabin controls.

The XUV Aero Coupe features rear suicide doors with no B-pillars.

The car is built on the existing front-wheel drive monocoque platform of the XUV 500. It also inherits the engine-line up from the latter, i.e. the new 1.99-litre mHawk diesel mill mated to a 6-speed manual or an automatic transmission.

Also Read: Mahindra TUV 300 Endurance Edition - 2016 Auto Expo

In a nutshell, Mahindra's crossover coupe puts more emphasis on the 'aesthetics' and 'sports' than 'utility' per se, as the rear head room, cabin and boot space remains compromised. It is also a strict 5-seater among the mundane 7-seat utility segments. Seems like an oxymoron to me, offering a utility vehicle (that Mahindra is known for) that engineers out some of that utility. But undeniably, this coupe-SUV is a big step by Mahindra and is appreciable.

Next, would you like to read more on new launches at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo??

Mahindra XUV Aero Coupe Concept - Image Gallery