The lighter platform, likely to debut on the Bolero, is expected to help future versions of SUVs clear regulatory requirements.
17 Sep 2024 | 6636 Views | By Ketan Thakkar & Hormazd Sorabjee
Mahindra & Mahindra — the country’s largest SUV maker in terms of revenues, has started working on an all-new, multi-energy platform, to de-risk the company from future consumer shifts towards different powertrains.
Sources say the company has kicked off the development of a monocoque flexible vehicle architecture called NFA, ...
This is an Autocar Pro Plus article. Subscribe to continue reading.
Mahindra & Mahindra — the country’s largest SUV maker in terms of revenues, has started working on an all-new, multi-energy platform, to de-risk the company from future consumer shifts towards different powertrains.
Sources say the company has kicked off the development of a monocoque flexible vehicle architecture called NFA, or New Flexible Architecture. The platform can support petrol, diesel, hybrid, and all-electric powertrains and will likely spawn an estimated nine different models over the next decade. It has the potential to drive sales of 3-5 lakh units per annum.
Given the multiple dimensions, body styles and powertrains, the NFA is being designed for, the investment in the new range of models spun off this versatile platform over the coming decade is likely to be more than a billion dollars.
The first model to be built on this New Flexible Architecture is the all-new Bolero (codenamed U171), which – for the first time in its 24-year history – will ditch its body-on-frame chassis for a monocoque structure. The U171 is likely to hit the roads in the second half of 2026.
The next-gen Bolero (earlier called ANB internally), will co-exist with the current Bolero. The plan is to continue to cater to traditional Bolero customers who want the toughness of a ladder-on-frame chassis, attracting — with the U171 — a new set of buyers who are looking for a sophisticated and user-friendly experience that only a monocoque-based SUV can give. This will help Mahindra expand Bolero’s volumes by catering to different sets of buyers. A similar exercise with the Scorpio N and the Scorpio Classic helped Mahindra increase the Scorpio nameplate’s volume to over 1.41 lakh units in FY24, a record for this iconic, 22-year-old SUV, and almost double the previous record of 76,000 units in FY23.
Following the U171 Bolero, future generations of the Thar, Scorpio and the Bolero EV, too, are also likely to use the new architecture in what will be a gradual shift away from the longstanding ladder-frame chassis, which is proving too heavy to meet the regulatory requirements of the future.
The weight advantage of a monocoque body, which is around 200kg lighter than the equivalent body-on-frame chassis, will be crucial in meeting future CAFE limits and emission regulations. A monocoque also gives more flexibility for manufacturing at scale and for producing various iterations of the body style on the same platform with varying length, width and wheelbase options. This means SUVs under and over four meters in length can be based on this new platform, which can support pick-up trucks too. There are no MPVs planned, as Mahindra has categorically stated that it will not re-enter the MPV segment and will only focus on SUVs.
Additionally, the NFA is being designed to accommodate multiple powertrains. These include petrol, strong hybrid, petrol-CNG, diesel, and even fully electric options. Depending on the model, it will also have the flexibility to have FWD or AWD layouts. With the flexibility offered by NFA, Mahindra should be able to react quickly and effectively to sudden consumer shifts in powertrain preferences in a market that is likely to be in a prolonged state of flux.
An email sent to the company seeking an official response on its plans for the NFA did not elicit any response. However, Mahindra & Mahindra has announced that it is committed to investing Rs 27,000 crore in its automotive business over the coming three years, of which about Rs 14,000 crore will go into capital expenditure for internal combustion engine models. In FY24, the company was the second-biggest player in the SUV space with a market share of over 20%, and the No. 1 by revenue.
M&M has also committed to a mid- to high-teens market share in the current financial year in a slowing market. The incremental volumes from compact SUV 3XO and lifestyle SUV Thar Roxx are expected to help the company cross half a million units in annual volumes for the first time.
The company also announced that its factory capacity will expand to 8.6 lakh units by FY26 and that it will have nine all-new ICE SUVs by the end of the decade. Sources say the new NFA will be at the core of the company’s plans to revamp its ICE portfolio.
M&M has forecast an electric vehicle penetration of 30% by 2030, and believes that the internal combustion engine will continue to be the primary powertrain for its vehicles and power most of its future volumes and profits.
This feature was first published in Autocar Professional's September 1, 2024 issue.