Scorpio-n: Mahindra’s affordable and vastly improved products continue to give rivals a run for their money while making new friends

By Ali Mphaki

Gospel singer Donny Ngwenyama in one of his grandest ditties cautions us to slow down our speed when it comes to our condemnation or lambasting of others.

‘Basheshe bahleka’, the crooner rejoins in  his native isiZulu language, the crisp message from his booming baritone voice a poignant reminder to all and sundry that the best laugh is usually the last.

The playlist moves to another song. This time Sipho Ngwenya ft Thungi Zungu are belting uJesu ufik’ekseni. The duo’s lyrics implores those who care to listen that just when the enemy thinks he’s finished with you, Jesus arrives in the morning – to deal decisively with your detractors.

Here I am listening to these songs ensconsced behind the wheel of the new 7-seater Mahindra Scorpio-N – a brand-new SUV that’s now available in South Africa that we had for test recently – the music serenading me from the Sony 3D sound system fitted with 12 speakers with twin-channel subwoofer music speakers. A wry smile forms as my mind races back to two decades ago when I first sampled a Mahindra product – a 2000 double-cab model.

‘Its a donkey’. ‘More like horse riding’, were some of the unfancied remarks in its wake. How times have changed! The 2023 midsize Mahindra Scorpio-N SUV (our test unit was in a hue called Deep Forest as seen in picture above),immediately evokes an emotion of freedom thanks to its tall confident posture laden frame, some aerodynamic and muscular touches, as well as the bold new grille and badge.

From whichever angle you ogle it, the Scorpio-N is a far cry from the due cosmetic surgery Scorpio currently currently available in both bakkie and SUV form and has been modernised and gets all the right ingredients expected in a butch SUV, like an imposing grille, flat bonnet, slab-sided profile and roof rails.

It looks intimidating and has an air of indestructibility, something old-school SUV buyers long for. Interestingly, the newcomer is assembled at the brand’s CKD facility in Kwa-Zulu Natal. And in case you have issues with made-in-India products (the Scorpio-N is produced at the firm’s state-of-the-art facilty in Chakan, Pune, India), it may allay your fears to know the design was penned by the Mahindra Design Studio in Mumbai and Pininfarina, Italy, while the engineering took place at the Mahindra Research Valley (MRV) near Chennai and Mahindra North American Technical Center (MNATC) in the USA.

A lump forms as I sit perched high into throne-like seats, which make you tower over other road users and offer good road visibility. The well-appointed brown and black interiors with soft-touch materials exudes a more premium look and feel while the instrument cluster also features a larger central multi-information display flanked by analogue dials. The new 8-inch touchscreen offers Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity as well as a Multivision surround camera – the latter a boon for a vehicle this size.

Powered by a 2.2-litre turbodiesel mHawk engine that offers 129 kW and 400 Nm of torque paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission, it offers a smooth ride and builds speed with ease which makes overtaking a breeze. There are almost no vibrations inside the cabin and only at higher revs do you hear a drone reminding you there is a diesel under the hood. Rivals who were quick to dismiss offerings from the Indian manufacturer better wake up and smell the coffee.

It will never be business as usual. Our test the Mahindra Scorpio-N Z8L 4×4 Automatic retails at R590 000 while the base model Mahindra Scorpio-N Z8 4×2 Automatic is priced at R510 000.

MOTORING:

Briefs

SIR LEWIS FERRARI

Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton will make a sensational switch from Mercedes to Ferrari next year on a multi-year contract, a move he called “one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make”. Hamilton has raced for the Silver Arrows since the 2013 season and has won six of his seven world titles with the team, adding to the crown he achieved at McLaren earlier in his career.

On Thursday evening, Mercedes confirmed that both they and Hamilton would be parting ways at the end of 2024 with Hamilton activating a release option in his contract. Ferrari soon followed by announcing the seven-time world champion would be joining from 2025 on a multi-year contract.

EV SALES STALL

The popularity of electric vehicles in America has been on a remarkable rise in recent years, but the final two quarters of 2023 were sobering for automakers. Even in California, the strongest market for EVs in America, sales of fully electric vehicles shrank in the second half of the year.

Although the market share of new EVs grew by five percent in 2023 as compared to 2022, its final quarter of the year was less positive. In Q4, 10 percent fewer new EVs were registered than in the third quarter of the year. Worse still, registrations in Q3 were down (very slightly) as compared to Q2.

ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE UPDATED

After a series of spy images, we’ve been treated to our first official look at the updated Aston Martin Vantage, which will be revealed in full in February.  As the entry-level sports car within Aston Martin’s range, the renewed Vantage will once again be looking to rival the Porsche 911, Mercedes-AMG GT and the McLaren Artura.

In a short release accompanying the fresh teaser image, the Gaydon firm claims the new Vantage is “a sports car engineered for real drivers; for those that crave driving purity and revel at the limit.”

MERCEDES TOPS INDIA LUXURY SALES

In 2024, the Indian luxury car market is set to cross the 50,000-unit sales mark for the first time, with key players gunning for a strong double-digit growth.  In the calendar year 2023, at over 20 percent, the luxury car market grew at more than double the pace of the mainstream car market, with volumes estimated to have hit a new peak of around 47,000 units.

Mercedes-Benz India, the country’s oldest and largest luxury carmaker, recorded its highest-ever annual sales in 2023, selling over 17,400 units and registering a growth of 10 percent and BMW India saw an 18 percent jump in its sales to 14,172 cars.

SEAT SAVED

Volkswagen-owned Spanish car maker Seat  may be thrown a lifeline with a new electric car rather than meet its demise by the end of the decade, according to a new report.

Last year the Seat car marque was in line to be phased out – and turned into a maker of mopeds and e-scooters – amid declining sales, and the growth of its more profitable Cupra sibling brand. Now a report from the UK’s Autocar claims it may be saved from death with a new entry-level model based on Volkswagen’s upcoming ID.1 electric city car.

CAMBODIA LAUNCHES FIRST CAR

Cambodia has launched its first car brand and is about to commence manufacturing a line-up of so-called “affordable” cars for local customers in the South-East Asian country.

GTV Motor claims its inaugural factory – which was commissioned in mid-2022 – is about to commence full-time production of five new models for local sale: the Krusar dual-cab pick-up, Soben-P minivan, and three SUVs, badged Kain, Caesar and Soben.

However all five models appear to be rebadges of existing cars from Chinese manufacturers. The car maker is a government-backed project intended to help achieve the Cambodian royal family’s aim of growing its automotive and electronic industries.