Mahindra’s launches from recent years have all been noted for their designs. The Scorpio-N, Electric Origin range (BE6, XEV 9e, BE6 FE and XEV 9S) and the four vision cars shown last year have all earned praise for their styling. Pratap Bose, who now heads the Indian carmaker’s design, has now made a bold statement: “We (Mahindra) will never make something which is vanilla (from a design perspective)”. Bose was talking to AND Auto when he made this strong remark.
Pratap Bose: Mahindra Won’t Build Vanilla Cars
Bose was talking on the sidelines of the launch of UDO, Mahindra’s latest electric three-wheeler. The electric rickshaw also stands out with its design. It looks modern, and unlike any of its rivals.
Talking to the publication, Bose explains how Mahindra, as a company, is taking design seriously, for both Indian and overseas markets. He outlines the strong shift in design direction in recent years. He says that Mahindra’s ambition is to show the best of India to the world, in terms of design.
Mahindra wants each of its products to have a head-turning design. Take a look at the BE6 or the XEV 9e. Love them or hate them, you cannot ignore them. They look futuristic and feature strong lines and clean surfaces. There is also a strong focus on aerodynamics.
Bose reaffirms that the company will always stay futuristic and bold with its designs: ‘While some people may or may not like it, we will never do something which is vanilla, which people will look and not look again’.
This applies not just to EVs or SUVs, but to everything automotive that Mahindra makes. Bose emphasizes that the current SUV and EV offerings are all head turners, and so is the OJA tractor lineup. Even in the UDO, the design team managed to inject character and visual distinction into a product that belongs to a rather mundane segment.
The broader goal, Bose says, is to capture the imagination of the customer and create vehicles that actually stand out.
In the exchange, we also hear the design boss talk about how competitive India as a market is, and how design has become a definitive factor today. He reaffirms that all of Mahindra’s designs are ‘set to global standards’. The design benchmarks in most cases, are set high. The carmaker is also particular about highlighting the sense of modernity, solidity and visual boldness in each of these.
Bose also talks about how customers these days are automatically drawn to good designs and how aesthetics play a key role in bringing conversions.
Exposure to more global designs and trends has played an important role in shaping their tastes and preferences. Satiating them will require timely revisions in the company’s overall design direction.
He also adds that that a good design today isn’t just something that looks good. It has many additional layers to it- functionality, aerodynamic efficiency, and more. A good user experience, and overall comfort and dynamics are obviously part of it too.
How Bold Is Mahindra’s Bold?
Bose has made it clear: Mahindra’s automotive and farm equipment lineup- from SUVs to three-wheelers and tractors- will have bold designs. The question now is ‘how bold are we talking about?’ It is difficult to predict or assume when the designer himself is known for his ‘loud’ designs.
Mahindra undoubtedly has some of the best-looking and most recognizable designs in the mass-market segments. Its lineup includes some iconic models as well. Drawing up generational updates, facelifts or successors of those can be like walking a tightrope for the design team.
It is easy to fall if you go overboard with the design or if the design fails to fill the nameplate’s shoes with its overall aesthetics and emotional appeal. Designers often exercise extra caution in such cases. Creating a ground up design, on the other hand, gives them much more artistic freedom and space to work in .
Mahindra is expected to launch the Scorpio-N SUV facelift in the coming months. The design chief’s latest emphasis on making the products look ‘bold’ and shouty can also be early hints of a radical change in the new Scorpio-N’s aesthetics. Remember the large grille in those spy pictures? Time remains before we find out…
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