Mahindra has launched the much-awaited XUV400 electric compact SUV in India. The XUV400 goes on sale in two variants – EC and EL - with prices starting from Rs 15.99 lakh and going up to Rs 18.99 lakh (all, ex-showroom). The prices are valid for the first 5,000 bookings of each variant with Mahindra targeting to complete 20,000 deliveries of the e-SUV in its first year on sale. Bookings officially open on January 26, 2023.

Speaking of the SUV, the XUV4 00 share its design with the smaller XUV 300 though with some EV-specific touches such as the closed-off grille including the copper trim elements and Mahindra twin-peaks logo. The cabin too offers much in common though the larger size does liberate additional boot space with the e-SUV also packing in more tech.

The e-SUV is available in five colour options – Arctic Blue, Everest White, Galaxy Grey, Napoli Black and Infinity Blue. Buyers also get the option of dual-tone paint finishes with a Satin Copper roof.

Moving to the equipment, the differences between the EC and EL are not limited to just equipment. The XUV400 EC gets a 34.5 kWh battery pack offering 375 km of range while the EL packs in a larger 39.4 kWh unit offering a claimed 456 km per charge (MIDC figures). Both variants though get the same electric motor outputting 110 kW and 310 Nm. Mahindra claims a 0-100 kmph time of 8.3 seconds for its electric SUV and a top speed of 150 kmph. The EC will be available with a 3.3 kW charger out of the box with an additional outlay letting buyers upgrade to a faster 7.2 kW unit. The EL meanwhile will get the 7.2 kW charger as standard.

On the equipment front, the EC packs in kit such as all-wheel disc brakes, steel wheels, halogen headlamps, single pedal driving, connected car tech, manual AC and fabric seats. The EL meanwhile is the fully kitted out variant offering additional features such as 6 airbags, alloy wheels, a rearview camera, a 7.0-inch touchscreen, keyless entry and go, projector headlamps, leatherette upholstery, rear wiper and washer and height-adjustable driver seat.

Mahindra says that deliveries of the XUV400 EL will commence from March this year with the EC deliveries commencing around Diwali. The SUV will also only be available in select cities initially with Mahindra looking at a phased introduction of its electric SUV. In phase 1, the XUV400 will be available in 34 cities across India namely Ahmedabad, Surat, Jaipur, Mumbai, Nasik, Verna (Goa), Pune, Nagpur, Bangalore, Chennai, Trivandrum, Cochin, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Delhi, Kolkata, Dehradun, Coimbatore, Aurangabad, Bhubaneshwar, Kolhapur, Mysore, Mangalore, Vadodara, Patna, Calicut, Raipur, Ludhiana, Udaipur, Jammu, Guwahati, Lucknow, Agra, Indore.