Mahindra & Mahindra has hired 900 new engineers at its Chennai research hub to expand into EV industry.
Mahindra may have arrived late to the burgeoning EV market (save for earlier EVs from the brand), but the local automaker is determined to make up for lost territory. While we wait for Mahindra to reveal its electric vehicle market strategy next month, the company has been preparing to deliver its first electric vehicle based on the ‘born electric’ platform.
Mahindra intends to have 5 electric SUVs in its lineup by 2027, including four new EVs and the eXUV400, an elongated electric version of the XUV300 subcompact SUV. Mahindra & Mahindra has reportedly hired 900 professionals at its engineering and R&D centre in Chennai, the Mahindra Research Valley, to assist with this (MRV). (Provigil) This number adds to the existing R&D center’s tally of 2,400 engineers and will aid in the center’s expansion to research and create new electric products.
Until recently, Mahindra Electric’s R&D base in Bengaluru was the epicentre of EV engineering, and while Mahindra & Mahindra is growing the MRV, the Bengaluru R&D centre will continue to play a supporting role in the development of EVs. “We have an EV track in Detroit as well, and they also conduct one of our programmes. In the United Kingdom, we have a design centre directed by Chief Designer Pratap Bose. The styling takes place there. The rest of the engineering and architecture takes place here (MRV) “R Velusamy, President, Automotive Technology and Product Development, M&M, confirmed to ETAuto that M&M’s Detroit engineering base – Mahindra North American Technical Centre – will continue to contribute to the ‘Born Electric’ SUVs, as will Mahindra Advanced Designs Europe (M.A.D.E.) in the UK. Mahindra reportedly may also set up a satellite engineering centre for electronics in Coimbatore, as the demand for software and electronics continues to grow in the auto industry.
Despite the expansion of the MRV, Mahindra is still looking to collaborate with other EV makers to source components. Mahindra has also partnered up with Volkswagen, and the German automaker will supply components to Mahindra from its MEB platform.
