From utility to aspiration: How design transformed Mahindra’s SUV identity

Yet, as the Indian auto market matured through the 2010s, design was no longer incidental. Customers started comparing proportions, interiors and finish equal to torque and strength. Competitors such as Hyundai, Kia and Tata capitalised on this shift. Mahindra, once the flag-bearer of ruggedness, suddenly appeared utilitarian in a market that asked for aspiration. The 2021 resetThat narrative shifted dramatically in 2021. The unveiling of the Twin Peaks logo signalled a change in intent. Gone was the oval badge that had presided over decades of rugged utility, in its place stood two sharp peaks, a symbol of ambition and duality. One peak represented the company’s deep SUV legacy, the other its climb toward a more premium, globally relevant future. The badge first appeared on the Mahindra XUV700, and the reception was immediate. Dealers observed that buyers associated the new logo with aspiration, a subtle reminder that in today’s market even a badge can carry emotional weight. The latest Mahindra Twin Peak logo was the first project by Pratap Bose at Mahindra which was unveiled in 2021 More consequential still was the hiring of Pratap Bose as Chief Design and Creative Officer. Bose brought not only a new aesthetic language but also an understanding that Indian customers were ready for design maturity. He often remarked that cars could now be designed for India but admired in Munich. Within three years of his appointment, six new production models rolled out, including the Scorpio-N, Thar Roxx and XUV700, each more sculpted, proportionate, and refined inside than anything Mahindra had made before. Also Read : From 30% to all: How Mahindra’s NU_IQ targets India’s SUV heartland Dual philosophies in EV designThe reset in design has also extended to Mahindra’s electrification journey, where the company has chosen to tread on two distinct yet complementary paths. On one side sits the BE series, conceived as radical and futuristic, with bold silhouettes and dramatic surfaces meant to appeal to a younger, style-conscious audience. The BE6 Batman Edition, created under an official tie-up with DC, exemplifies this approach, more cultural statement than mere special variant. As Bose observed, today’s youth are shaped as much by film franchises as by traditional automotive cues, if design is to resonate, it must speak the cultural language of its time. The second path, however, is deliberately evolutionary. The XEV range, led by the XEV 9e, carries forward the muscular cues and visual ethos of Mahindra’s ICE models like the XUV700. It is an approach designed to reassure existing customers, those who have come to associate the brand with rugged authenticity, while easing them into the electric era. Together, these two philosophies represent a delicate balancing act. The BE brand is intended to do what the Scorpio once achieved two decades ago: bring entirely new customers into Mahindra’s fold, often from premium segments that had previously ignored the brand. The XEVs, by contrast, are about loyalty and continuity, ensuring that Mahindra’s core identity remains intact even as it pivots to an electric future. The next chapter with NU_IQIf BE and XEV represent the two tracks of Mahindra’s EV design, the NU_IQ platform unveiled at the Freedom_NU showcase represents the next leap altogether. Compact SUVs, especially sub-four-metre ones, had long been Mahindra’s blind spot. Products like the Quanto or KUV100 failed, mostly because of awkward proportions and cramped interiors. With the upcoming products based on the NU_IQ platform, Veluswamy R, President of Automotive Technology and Product Development, Mahindra and Mahindra emphasised that there was a need to rethink stance, dimensions and suspension from the ground up. NU_IQ’s flexibility offers a clean slate. The architecture supports a flat floor even for ICE models, which frees up cabin and boot space, while also ensuring electric versions are conceived as “born electric” rather than retrofitted. The approach is as much about interiors as exteriors: sightlines, seating comfort, and digital engagement are integral to the design brief. Also Read : What is the Mahindra NU_IQ Platform? Here is all you need to know… The centrepiece of this rethink is the NU_UX infotainment system, which integrates tech and voice into the cabin seamlessly, a sharp departure from earlier Mahindra models where digital features often felt bolted on. The rise of Mahindra’s design studiosNone of this would be possible without the strengthening of Mahindra’s design institutions. Today, the company operates through two studios: MIDS (Mumbai) and MADE (UK). MIDS provides the local pulse, an understanding of India’s tax-driven quirks like the sub-4 metre rule, and the aspirations of value-conscious buyers. MADE brings the global lens, proportion, surfacing, and standards that appeal to customers in Europe, Australia, and Latin America. Together, they enable designs that are equally at home in Pune and Paris. Mahindra currently operates through two studios: MIDS (Mumbai) and MADE (UK). Bose frames this collaboration as the marriage of “Indian emotion with global sophistication.” The speed of execution is itself proof of capability, six production models and multiple concepts in just over three years, a pace made possible only because the studios are not styling outposts but decision-making hubs influencing engineering, interiors, digital UX, and safety. Global credibility in design and safetyWhat ties this all together is the demand for global credibility. Rajesh Jejurikar has stressed that products on the NU_IQ platform are being engineered for five-star safety ratings in Bharat NCAP, Euro NCAP and ANCAP from day one. In other words, safety is now as central to design as surfacing or stance. Also Read : Mahindra to set up new plant for passenger vehicles, to start production by March 2028 This credibility also extends to markets. The sub-4 metre SUV category may be an Indian creation, born of taxation policy, but design maturity now allows these vehicles to travel. Mahindra has already begun re-entering markets such as South Africa, Australia, and Latin America, where its newer SUVs are finding traction. With NU_IQ’s flexibility for left- and right-hand drive, the ambition is clear: compact SUVs conceived in India, admired abroad. From utility to emotionFor Mahindra, the story of design is no longer about rugged authenticity alone. It is about creating emotional connect, where interiors, infotainment, stance, and even a badge can tilt buyer preference. If the Scorpio helped build Mahindra’s identity in the 2000s, the BE series and NU_IQ platform may well define its relevance in the 2030s. Design, once peripheral to Mahindra, is now the central language of aspiration, the difference between merely competing and truly commanding attention in a crowded SUV market. Get insights into Upcoming Cars In India, Electric Vehicles, Upcoming Bikes in India and cutting-edge technology transforming the automotive landscape. First Published Date: 19 Aug 2025, 09:00 am IST
Source: hindustantimes.com