Automobile Desk: The strengthening bilateral relations between India and Bhutan and cooperation in the field of e-mobility has got a new dimension. India's Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar formally handed over 54 units of the 'Made in India' Mahindra XEV 9e to Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay during his two-day official visit to Thimphu. All these premium electric SUVs have been included in the fleet of official vehicles of the Royal Government of Bhutan. The delivery was completed by the Department of Procurement and Properties of the Ministry of Finance of Bhutan through Syngye Agencies.
Appreciating Bhutan's environment-friendly transport policies, the External Affairs Minister said that India will continue to support Bhutan in achieving its goals of sustainable development and green energy. Along with this handover ceremony held in Thimphu, serious talks were also held between the two countries regarding energy development and connectivity.
INGLO platform and strong performance
The Mahindra XEV 9e delivered to the Government of Bhutan is the 'Pack Two' variant. These vehicles are not electric conversions of any traditional ICE model, but are built on Mahindra's special INGLO dedicated EV architecture. The car has a 59 kWh capacity LFP battery pack, which works in conjunction with the permanent magnet synchronous motor located on the rear axle. This rear-wheel-drive (RWD) setup is capable of generating 228 bhp of maximum power and 380 Nm of peak torque. In terms of speed, this SUV can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 8.3 seconds. It also provides three driving modes for drivers like Range, Everyday and Race.
Charging Capacity and Driving Range
To make long distance travel easier, this variant with a 59 kWh battery offers a MIDC-certified driving range of 542 km. Talking about charging technology, this SUV supports 140 kW DC fast charging. Under favorable conditions, it can be charged from 20 to 80 percent in just 20 minutes. Additionally, with normal AC charging options, full charging can be achieved in approximately 6 hours with an 11.2 kW charger and approximately 8.7 hours with a 7.2 kW charger.
Design, interior and high-tech features
The exterior structure of Mahindra XEV 9e has been designed in bold and futuristic SUV-coupe style. It gets vertical LED DRLs, bi-LED projector headlights, illuminated Infinity logo on the bonnet, flush door handles, 19-inch alloy wheels and a twin-pod spoiler with a connected LED light bar in the rear profile.
Inside the cabin, one gets dark dual-tone interior with premium soft-touch leatherette material. The main feature of the dashboard is its triple 12.3-inch screen setup, which includes the digital cluster, central infotainment and front passenger display. Along with this, a 16-speaker Harman Kardon audio system with Dolby Atmos support, 6-way powered driver seat (with memory function) and a large fixed panoramic glass roof make the cabin experience extremely comfortable. The starting ex-showroom price of this model in the Indian automobile market is Rs 21.90 lakh.
