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Sudha Menon

PUNE, Aug 6

MAHINDRA & Mahindra whose Scorpio rolled into the market last month is all set to launch a petrol version of the SUV with engines imported from Renault of France.

The M&M Vice-President-Marketing (Automotive Sector), Mr Rajesh Jejurikar, told Business Line that the company would launch the petrol version of the Scorpio fitted with a 2-litre, 116 hp engine from Renault's stable by the middle of this month, initially in Mumbai and Delhi.

"The engines are the latest available with Renault and the petrol version will be targeted at the discerning car buyer who wants to drive the Scorpio with the feel of a petrol vehicle," he said, adding that the petrol version would constitute 10 per cent of the total production.

The petrol version, however, would cost significantly more, at Rs 7.10 lakh as against the diesel high-end model at Rs 6.15 lakh because of the cost involved in importing the engines, Mr Jejurikar said.

"The petrol version is also being launched to budget for any possible further narrowing of the fuel price differential in the future, which might cause customers to opt for petrol over diesel," he said.

Mr Jejurikar said the company was also launching a four-wheel drive version of the Scorpio by mid-September, targeted at the niche category of off-road, adventure seeking car enthusiasts. "While this does not constitute a huge number in sales, we perceive a need for a `value for money' product in this category," Mr Jejurikar said, adding that while variants are planned on the Scorpio platform, they would only be launched after consolidating the product that had just been launched.

The Scorpio is being launched in Punjab, Chandigarh and Hyderabad in the first-half of August before heading for Lucknow, Jaipur, Raipur and Kolkata. Meanwhile, the company is shifting the focus of its earlier product, the Bolero, to semi-urban and rural markets in response to a fall in demand in urban centres.

Mr Jejurikar said currently, only 35 per cent of the vehicle sales came from the cities while 60 per cent of the sales were from semi-urban and rural areas as against equal proportions earlier.

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