Anand Mahindra Gifts Chess Prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa A Mahindra XUV400

Anand Mahindra has gifted the new Mahindra XUV400 electric SUV to chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. Mahindra had promised to gift a car to Rameshbabu's parents following his remarkable performance at the FIDE World Chess Cup last year. The 18-year-old is India's number one chess player, surpassing Viswanathan Anand in the chess rankings.

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Rameshbabu took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share about the delivery of his new prized possession. The chess player wrote, “Received XUV400. My parents are very happy. Thank you very much.” While the variant is unknown, XUV400 has been delivered in the pristine shade of white.

The 2023 FIDE Chess World Cup Final saw Rameshbabu come close to clinching the world title before being beaten by Magnus Carlsen. The admirable feat caught Mr Mahindra's attention, who declared that he would be gifting an electric SUV to the chess player.

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The Mahindra XUV400 is the brand's first-ever electric SUV. The model is available with two battery options - 34.5 kWh and 39.4 kWh. The model received major upgrades earlier this year including a bigger 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 10.25-inch digital instrument console, dual-zone AC, a sunroof, and wireless phone charging. The model also comes with six airbags, ESP, Hill Hold Assist, TPMS and more. The SUV is priced at Rs 15.49 lakh (ex-showroom).

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This won't be the first time Anand Mahindra has gifted SUVs to sports persons. The Mahindra boss has previously gifted SUVs to several athletes including Neeraj Chopra, Avani Lekhara, Deepa Malik, Sarfaraz Khan, PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik. More recently, he gifted the Mahindra Thar to cricketer Sarfaraz Khan.