Mahindra & Mahindra is preparing to deepen its presence in India’s mass-market electric SUV segment through its NU_IQ architecture after deliberately beginning its new-generation EV offensive higher up the price ladder, potentially setting up another reshaping of its lower-end electric portfolio.
Nalinikanth Gollagunta, CEO, Automotive Division, said at a media roundtable following the launch of the Mahindra BE 6 Sporteq Formula E Freedom Edition that the company consciously chose to establish its new EV proposition at the premium end before working its way down.
Gollagunta also sees increasing competition as helping expand rather than fragment the EV opportunity. New launches from rivals build confidence in the category and can bring incremental customers into electric vehicles, he indicated.
For Mahindra, that expanding market comes as it prepares to take the technology and customer proposition established at the premium end into the much larger mass-market SUV battlefield through NU_IQ.
“We didn’t want to start there. The strategy was to start from the top and then come down,” Gollagunta said, indicating that Mahindra has products planned in the 4-metre and 4.3-metre categories around NU_IQ. “We will tap into that segment very clearly.”
Mahindra plans to expand its electric SUV portfolio into the mass market through its NU_IQ architecture, following a premium-focused EV strategy that has gained traction with buyers.
Mahindra’s decision to start at the top has found considerable market acceptance. The XEV 9e has emerged as the best-selling model in its Born Electric portfolio, surpassing 34,000 units sold, demonstrating that Indian buyers are willing to move beyond ₹20 lakh for a differentiated electric SUV.
The XEV 9e has even outsold the Tata Nexon EV over some comparable sales periods — an unusual reversal in a market where EV volumes have traditionally been concentrated at more affordable price points.
Having established that consumers are willing to move up the price ladder for the right electric proposition, Mahindra is now preparing to move in the other direction — taking its next-generation EV strategy towards the belly of the market through NU_IQ.
The shift also puts the spotlight on the eventual shape of Mahindra’s mass-market electric portfolio. The XUV400 represented its earlier mass-market EV push, while the recently launched sub-four-metre XUV 3XO EV now offers a more affordable entry point. NU_IQ products spanning the 4-metre and 4.3-metre classes could give Mahindra another generation of products in precisely these high-volume segments.
At the upper end, the INGLO-based BE 6 and XEV range have established Mahindra’s Born Electric proposition through dedicated EV architecture, larger batteries and higher levels of technology.
While the eventual mix of models at the lower end is still taking shape, Mahindra sees no ambiguity about the direction of its powertrain strategy.
“I really want to clear that matter. Our focus is electric, electric, electric,” R Velusamy, President, Automotive Business, said.
Mahindra would therefore introduce electric powertrains into SUV segments where it sees an addressable market, rather than entering categories merely to add an EV. “Wherever there’s an SUV market, we bring electric,” Velusamy said, adding that the decision has to consider multiple parameters and cannot be viewed only through the powertrain lens.
Velusamy also indicated that Mahindra would not pursue electrification simply to establish a presence in every segment. The starting point would remain the vehicle, customer and market opportunity.“What is more important is which vehicle, which segment, which customer you are giving it to, he said.
Published on August 17, 2026
