Mahindra U321 MPV set to rival Toyota Innova Crysta, launch could be in April

The home-grown UV maker Mahindra and Mahindra was expected to unveil its new MPV codenamed U321 at the Auto Expo 2018. However, that did not happen. But it looks like Mahindra is preparing to launch the new MPV in India soon.

A report of GaadiWaadi informs that Mahindra U321 could be launched as early as April this year. The U321 is believed to be going through the final round of testing on Indian roads with images of the model already having made it to the web on several occasions in the recent past.

Mahindra MPV U321 will be pitted against Toyota Innova Crysta in India. It will be the company's first MPV based on the monocoque platform and has been developed at its North American Technical Centre (MNATC) in Michigan and Mahindra Research Valley in Chennai.

From a visual standpoint, the U321 seems to have the typical MPV silhouette and chunky front and rear bumpers. Mahindra is expected to offer projector headlamps with LED DRLs, prominent front grille, 16-inch alloy wheels and more with the MPV.

Inside the cabin, the earlier images suggested that the MPV gets a new cabin with a dual-tone color scheme and is likely to come with features like a large touchscreen infotainment system with control switches on both sides of it, central aircon vents, automatic climate control and front-center armrest onboard. The cabin of the U321 could also get chrome accents running on the dashboard and AC vents. The new model also showed three-spoke steering, a two-pod instrument cluster, and fabric upholstery.

Under the hood, the new U321 is expected to get a 1.6-litre mFalcon diesel engine. The engine can is expected to generate nearly 123bhp of power and 305 Nm of torque and the transmission could be handled by a six-speed manual gearbox. The new MPV of Mahindra may also get a 2.2-litre mHawk engine in the MPV.

Mahindra's U321 MPV will rival Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Renault Lodgy in its segment.