[CoolFire]

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[GTO]

The KUV100 wasn't too bad for Mahindra's first attempt at developing a monocoque hatchback. But it didn't have a chance against the product aggression of Maruti & Hyundai. Even Toyota, Honda, VW etc. have backed off from competing with these two cheap car masters.

But I feel terrible about the Marazzo, if at all the news is true. It's an EXCELLENT MPV, a true all-rounder. The car flopped due to a variety of reasons - Mahindra's own (horrible) marketing & sales efforts, no AT, no petrol, top variant being too pricey, glaring lack of features at launch (no keyless entry or leather-wrapped steering!!).

The real problem is, if such a good + safe product bombs, it discourages the manufacturer from making such investments again. The Marazzo debacle will make Mahindra more cautious. That sucks, because if the risk-taking ability reduces, it also reduces choices for the customer.

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

That is very unlike Mahindra to discontinue products in a couple of years. Marazzo has been in sale for only 3 years.

Well said and I agree. See how long they flogged the Logan, KUV100, Xylo etc. despite poor sales. Added a "rumour" tag to the title.

Originally Posted by tanbeamer

The first generation Thar was never really a success which is something which we all are aware of.

The sales might be low, but it exceeded Mahindra's own sales projections. End of the day, it was a 2-door jugaad 4x4 and Mahindra knew the Army will always gravitate to the Gypsy for big orders. For the kind of vehicle it was and the basic package it offered, I consider the 1st-gen Thar's numbers to be enough to brand it a success. Plus, that car is what led to the 2nd-gen Thar - an RBI approved money minting machine.

[PrideRed]

Biggest drawback for Marazzo was its exterior design. While all other manufacturers were trying to make their VAN's look more SUV(Crysta,XL6), Marazzo retained its bulbous van shape. Along with this lack of AT, Petrol engine, skimping on feature set and at launch, top spec was very close to GX Crysta which had gotten extra kit.

[Tgo]

I remember a Jalopnik Article where they were in awe of this body on frame, front engine, front wheel drive, minivan in Detroit awhile ago.

I guess it is a result of the called-off synergy that as to happen between Ford-Mahindra. XUV-5OO delayed till 2024 and no updates to Marazzo.

As a Xylo replacement it should have sold very well. But, the Ertiga increased in size and undercut the Marazzo significantly. They should have sold it well when Maruti killed their Diesel engine.

[shortbread]

Mahindra has two faces:

1) Continued dominator: In segments where M&M have had a head start, they always ensure that their products stay fresh with regular updates, competitive pricing and excellent packaging for a variety of customers tastes. eg. Bolero, Scorpio and recently the Thar... they singlehandedly rule the roost giving no leeway for competitors to step in and most importantly never complacent. Another great example is M&M's domination in the tractor space.

in contrast on the other end

2) Struggling competitor The very same Mahindra falters when they step into a segment where competition is strong. eg. Xylo, Verito/Vibe, Quanto/Nuvosport, Ssangyongs, TUV300, Marazzo, XUV300......

Quirky designs, Poor value, confused segment placement, bad marketing..... this Indian giant all of a sudden looks lost. The script is always the same, create hype, lot of initial excitement, declare early booking figures with regular press releases, then silence creeps in, volumes crash to three figures!

It's not just 4 wheelers, look at Mahindra's two wheeler operations, whether Mojo or Jawa. Mahindra managed to create incredible levels of excitement during the Jawa launch, the state now!

Fingers crossed Mahindra will be on the ball with the XUV700. First get the segment right and abandon this one stone two birds policy. The Marazzo was too expensive against the Ertiga, and fell short of competing against the Innova. Second, value matters and do not over price and then resort to massive discounting. XUV 500's market acceptance during the time of launch was due to its terrific value, it's a successful recipe and there is no need to change it.

I know going upmarket, premium image, increased margins etc.... but there is a reason why every other car maker wants to become the German trio but fails. Upmarket and premium pricing do not happen overnight!

[aaggoswami]

Marazzo is actually a very nice product. But Mahindra never focused on it as much as they could have. Maruti played smart too by introducing the XL6 with "SUV" tag. Comfort, space, even efficiency are well covered by Marazzo as a people mover and that handsome safety rating is icing on the cake. But a poor feature list distribution, small engine put many buyers off. Second generation Ertiga took a step ahead, so did Innova. But Marazzo was, I am sure, benchmarked against first generation Innova. Marazzo betters first generation Innova over aspects like relaxed cruising, efficiency, NVH, ride, space, comfort, even headlights, except may be poorer low end torque. But lack of foresight by Mahindra hit the well engineered product hard. Safari, Hector Plus and upcoming Alcazar have that aspirational SUV format Marazzo sorely lacks. Mahindra had no answer to competition, mainly mechanical one. The 2.2 diesel mill could have helped get some sales for Marazzo. Its intriguing how Mahindra has started losing on many fronts, be it domestic SUV sales or their international acquisitions, and discontinuation of Marazzo means one of their best products gets to see the axe. Hope Mahindra gets back to value for money pricing strategy for their upcoming products.

[humyum]

Marazzo could have become India's Smax if it were given the royal treatment along with great interiors, powerful engines and a torque converter automatic.

Whenever I saw one stand next to me or in my rear view mirror, it looked so grand and magnanimous

[anjan_c2007]

Both the freak launches were as a result of M&M's insecurity in the marketplace. The oldies portfolio viz. the Bolero and Scorpio were and still are their bread and butter. The new Thar has taken over now, but only to a very limited extent.

So when the marketplace has a Creta, a Brezza (Venue, Hector and Seltos were yet to arrive) becoming a top 10 best seller, the M&M boardroom approves a competitor to get a slice of the small SUV space. Moreover, they have just got a new R&D lab near Chennai. And the Pininfarina take over talks are fructifying. The company designers come out with a KUV 100 (not a 100cc like the Ind Suzuki AX 100 or Hero Honda CD 100 and so on). The appearence especially the front facade frown, is a disaster from Day 1. Some buyers go for it, while it later lands in sporadic numbers with the Ola and Uber aggregators. And now seeing that there are no takers, the dismal sales and the disaster they themselves created, they themselves write down its obituary. RIP !

The non entry for M&M in the coveted MPV space has been an eyesore for them, eversince the launch and the grand success of the Innova. Till the Toyota Qualis came and went away (1999-2004) , M&M feathers were not ruffled as they were showing off their new portfolio with the Bolero and the Scorpio. But come the Innova, around August 2004 and soon its runaway success, M&M took notice, but only after three or more years had passed. They thought over and launched the Xylo in early 2009, as a Innova beater. USP banked upon was local make, local spares, affordable, rugged with M&M DNA and so on. After the initial euphoria in 2009 and for a few initial months of 2010, the Xylo sales moved southward from about 4000 units a month (the peak) to 500-600 by 2013-14 and it very soon came down to 200-300 units per month. In fact, just after its launch, Xylo's sales were rivalling that of the Scorpio. But then, it was all through using the just discarded 2.6 L CRdi (old Scorpio engine) badged as the MEagle in the Xylo, whereas the Scorpios had got the peppier, 2190 cc/ 120 bhp, MHawk diesel around the time the Xylo was launched in 2009. Xylo got the MHawk engine by 2012, but in the higher end models. Very soon, Xylos became common in the taxi space and were also sold to government departments as a clearence sale and by 2019 its production was stopped.

Now again the small SUV space in the market bug, bit M&M and armed with the Mahindra Research Valley, Chennai and Pininfarina, Italy in its portfolio, the Marazzo was launched in 2018, to take on the Ertiga, Nexon and also the other smaller SUV's from the East, that were now hits in the market. Poor marketing, lack of contemporary features, greater options to compete with peers caused it to fail. Now again their strategy has bombed !

So ultimately, Scorpio and Bolero and to some extent the XUV 500, still remain M&M's bread and butter. They earn from the sales of these two ageing models and also from tractor sales to spend money on R&D and launch of such still born products. And also to squander money on brands like Ssangyong. Its too early to comment about the second generation Thar also becoming their bread and butter as of now !

[cs_rajesh]

Originally Posted by abhikb

I really wish they had stuck to the Xylo for few more years as it was indeed a spacious offering combined with ruggedness.

+1
I am a big fan of Xylo and its space and ruggedness. The Xylo should have been improvised for better ride and handling and offered a BSVI compliant diesel engine around 2 liter capacity or so and made the car a bit lighter and reduced its center of gravity and that car would have been a good fleet and personal car for large families. I don't like Marazzo name, styling and its weak engine and transverse mount.

[abhikb]

Originally Posted by cs_rajesh

+1
I am a big fan of Xylo and its space and ruggedness. The Xylo should have been improvised for better ride and handling and offered a BSVI compliant diesel engine around 2 liter capacity or so and made the car a bit lighter and reduced its center of gravity and that car would have been a good fleet and personal car for large families. I don't like Marazzo name, styling and its weak engine and transverse mount.

I totally agree with you, Xylo had every advantage which Scorpio lovers complained off, it was rugged as well as hell lot of comfortable for those road trips. We have owned a 2013 Xylo E4 with the CRDe engine (meagle), it had done 2.5 Lakhs kms before we sold it off. At 2.5 Lakhs Kms it took us from Ahmedabad to Spiti valley back without breaking a sweat. I still regret selling the Xylo as none of the other MUV/SUVs have sufficient space in all 3 rows for 5+ adults to move. Marrazo though a refined product simply lacked the advantages which Xylo had and now as a buyer we are left with neither of them from the Mahindra stable.

[locusjag]

I spoke to my relative in Mahindra R&D just now. Everyone in that division is scattered in their hometowns and a number of senior officials and engineers have even passed away due to COVID. So things are in a bad mess for them, as it is for everyone in general.

But yes - it sounds like the Marazzo is dead. He had mentioned to me back in November that Mahindra were trying to force-fit a 2.2L engine into the cramped bay while also exploring design changes to allow the bigger engine to be placed there. That effort might still be underway but is likely stopped due to COVID. But the current model seems to be acknowledged within their circles as a failure and he thinks it's no surprise that it might have been stopped. For all we know, it's a goner and without the 2.2L in it, Mahindra seems disinterested in further selling it.

[H0RSEPOWER]

Originally Posted by GTO

But I feel terrible about the Marazzo, if at all the news is true. It's an EXCELLENT MPV, a true all-rounder. The car flopped due to a variety of reasons - Mahindra's own (horrible) marketing & sales efforts, no AT, no petrol, top variant being too pricey, glaring lack of features at launch (no keyless entry or leather-wrapped steering!!).

The real problem is, if such a good + safe product bombs, it discourages the manufacturer from making such investments again. The Marazzo debacle will make Mahindra more cautious. That sucks, because if the risk-taking ability reduces, it also reduces choices for the customer.

This is so true! In fact a car, that has become the car of the year in an auto enthusiasts’ forum like Team bhp just few years back, indicates that it is not a poor car! They should have done better marketing for Marazzo as a unique offering with it’s one of a kind body on frame structure being merged with FWD layout. They should have understood that the USP of the car is the above mentioned thing, not the price band(neither in Ertiga nor in Innova range) that it carries. Instead of eyeing sales of both Innova & Ertiga, Mahindra should have reduced the price to stay competitive to Ertiga.

[Venkatesh]

Mahindra has no plans to discontinue Marazzo and KUV100 in India.



Mahindra is planning to launch the AMT version of the Marazzo soon and happy with the KUV100's export numbers.

Mahindra's official spokesperson said, "The Marazzo and the KUV100 are an integral part of our product portfolio. In fact, we have invested and launched the BS6 versions of both the Marazzo and the KUV100. We keep upgrading our products from time to time and one can soon expect the Marazzo, to be launched with an AutoShift transmission. The KUV100 is popular in many global markets and we are delighted with its increasing export volumes. All these clearly clarify our commitment to these brands as a part of our product portfolio."

Source

[e46]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Mahindra has no plans to discontinue Marazzo and KUV100 in India.

Source

Thanks for the reference. CNB is a credible channel and reason enough to curb further speculations in this thread.

@Mods: This thread should be locked till we hear something from the company itself.

[H Karter]

Originally Posted by Benoit

I am really sad to see the Marazzo go. I wonder what Mahindra was thinking. Body on frame + traverse engine + FWD. I would not call this a killer combination for an MPV. They should have had the RWD setup with the 2.2 mHawk in XUV500 spec and simply placed it along the XUV500 price range. Had they done that, half of the Innova buyers would have been driving a marazzo now.

I really wish for a Marazzo plus in the future.

Add to this, Mahindra underestimates its customers and overestimates its service guys. The designers think that the buyers are not going to look under the body.

The highly complicated front suspension:

And the not so easy engine bay to work on; can anybody spot the battery?!


The single liners for our not so beloved KUV100 are enough for it!