Mahindra Prepping Ford Ecosport and Renault Duster Rivals, Quanto Facelift in the Works; Price, Feature, Launch Details

Mahindra & Mahindra, the popular SUV maker, is gearing up to launch three new SUVs in India that will challenge the country's successful Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster.

Both Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster have done remarkably well in the Indian auto market, a segment that Mahindra has, for a long time, been the leading brand with its Scorpio and Bolero models.

But the aggressive styling, powerful packaging and the strategic positioning of the Renault Duster and Ford EcoSport trumped Mahindra's position in the market in recent years. However, Mahindra is not ready to give up its once dominant stranglehold.

Mahindra is geared to throw a counter punch, Economic Times reported. This time, the auto major will be adding three new models to its SUV line-up in the increasingly competitive, but lucrative Indian market.

The trio, S101, a Quanto facelift U215, and a Bolero new model, codenamed U301 should be revving up on the roads in the next 18-24 months.

For Mahindra, the task is to restore its lost charm in the compact utility market and the three SUVs in the line-up would just be the ideal additions to its enviable range.

All three SUVs will fall in the sub-four meter range and will compete not just with the EcoSport and Duster, but also with the upcoming Maruti's and Hyundai's compact SUV line-up.

Talking of the Mahindra S101 compact SUV, the vehicle which is already on the Indian roads for testing is expected to make its debut in the market next year and is likely to fall in the price range of ₹5-7 lakh.

At this point of time, the details of the new SUV are scanty. However, from the spy shots that we have seen so far, the S101 is likely to get features like auto climate-control, steering-mounted buttons for infotainment system. Under the hood, Mahindra S101 Compact SUV is rumoured to feature Mahindra's newly developed 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and 1.5-litre three-cylinder mCR100 unit.

The next in the line-up is the new avatar of Mahindra Quanto. Quanto, a compact SUV, which failed to get the numbers that the SUV maker expected is now getting ready for a make-over in the country. The new Quanto, codenamed U215, will be positioned between the upcoming S101 and the new Bolero. We don't know yet if this new Quanto is the one we saw at Delhi Auto Expo, but reports suggest that the Quanto facelift will be an AMT variant.

The third SUV, codenamed U301, is the successor to the popular Bolero and is expected reach our shores sometime next year. We do not have the details of the tweaks and design of the new Bolero, but chances are that it is likely to be built on a new platform.

And to heat up competition in the SUV market further, is the soon-coming Mahindra's new Scorpio facelift .The Scorpio facelift is likely to be in the auto market by the end of this October and is expected to pack the same 2.2 litre four-cylinder turbo-charged mHawk diesel engine, seen in the current model and is expected to get 120 bhp power and 290 Nm torque.