Mahindra Scorpio

The Mahindra Scorpio is a mid-size SUV (in the Indian market) and Compact SUV (in the Global market) manufactured by the Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra since 2002. It was Mahindra's first model to be built for the global market.

The Scorpio was conceptualized and designed by the in-house integrated design and manufacturing team of Mahindra & Mahindra. The car has been the recipient of three Indian awards, including the "Car of the Year" award from Business Standard Motoring as well as the "Best SUV of the Year" and the "Best Car of the Year" awards, both from BBC World's Wheels.

Development
Prior to the mid-1990s, Mahindra & Mahindra was an automobile assembly company. The company manufactured Willys Jeeps and its minor modified versions, with modifications carried out in India. In 1996, the company planned to enter the SUV segment with a new product that could compete globally. Since M&M did not have the technical knowhow to handle such an ambitious product, they devised an entirely new concept among Indian auto companies. Roping in new executives who had worked in the auto industry in western countries, such as Pawan Goenka and Alan Durante.

The new Mahindra Scorpio SUV had all of its major systems designed directly by suppliers, with the only inputs from Mahindra being design, performance specifications and program cost. The design and engineering of the systems were carried out by suppliers, as well as testing, validation, and materials selection. Sourcing and engineering locations were also chosen by suppliers. The parts were later assembled in a Mahindra plant under the Mahindra badge, being a well-known brand in India. Using this method, the company was able to build from scratch a new vehicle with virtually 100 percent supplier involvement from concept to reality, at a cost of Rs 600 crore ($120 million), including improvements to the plant. The project took five years to move from concept to final product. The cost was estimated in 2002 to be Rs 550 crore.

mHawk Engine
The mHawk diesel engine is a VTG-turbocharged and intercooled four-cylinder that displaces 2.2-litres. It has a 85 mm × 96 mm (3.35 in x 3.78 in) cylinder bore and piston stroke. The engine delivers a power of 140 PS and produces 320 Nm of torque. A Bosch common-rail direct-injection system with solenoid injectors is used. The mHawk is equipped with chain-driven overhead camshafts and hydraulic lash adjusters; its compression ratio ranges from 16.5:1 to 18.5:1 depending on the model.

Pre-facelift (2002–2006)
The Mahindra Scorpio was first launched in India on 20 June 2002. Soon after its success, the Mahindra Scorpio was later received a minor update to include plush seats, rear center armrest, dual-tone exterior color, and various minor changes. The direct injection turbo-diesel engine was all new; the NEF (New Engine Family) is square, with a 94.0 mm bore and stroke, displaces 2609 cc, and produces 109 hp at 3,800 rpm. To meet the upcoming Bharat 3 emissions standards in 2005, Mahindra enlisted the help of AVL List GmbH in Austria to convert the NEF engine to common rail injection, which also increased power to 115 hp at the same engine speed. This engine family is also known as the 2.6 SZ.



In addition to the in-house diesel engine, the Scorpio (and Goa) was also offered with Renault's 2-liter F4R petrol engine, producing 116 hp at 5,500 rpm. Customers preferred the torquier diesel options for the heavy Scorpio and sales of the petrol-engined model were always modest.

The vehicle was sold in Europe as the Mahindra Goa with first sales in Italy in 2003. As many export markets, particularly in Europe, have a significant tax threshold at 2.5 litres, a short stroke version of the NEF displacing 2498 cc was made available in 2004. Power was down marginally, at 105 hp for the NEF 2.5 TCI and 112 hp for the NEF 2.5 CRDe. In 2006, Mahindra announced that Scorpios sold in Russia will be made as kits with a joint venture partner.

First facelift (2006–2009)
In April 2006, Mahindra launched the first facelift of the Scorpio, marketed as the All-New Scorpio. At the Auto Expo 2006 in Delhi, Mahindra also showcased their future plans on the Scorpio model by showcasing a hybrid Scorpio with a CRDe engine and a Scorpio-based pickup truck derivative. The hybrid, the first such vehicle developed in India, was developed by Arun Juara, a former employee of Ford. His senior, Pawan Goenka, a former engineer at GM, heads Mahindra's automotive division and oversees the Scorpio project. A pickup truck version of the Scorpio was launched in India in June 2007, known as the Scorpio Getaway. On 21 September 2008, the Scorpio was updated with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Second facelift (2009–2014)
The second facelift of the Mahindra Scorpio was largely cosmetic, with key changes including the headlight housings, bonnet and bumper designs. There were also minor increases in power and torque.

On 14 April 2009, Mahindra revealed a concept of a diesel-electric hybrid version of their Scorpio SUV at the 2008 SAE World Congress.

The Mahindra Scorpio Getaway was launched in Australia in mid-2009, marketed there as the Mahindra Pik-Up. It received additional safety features compared to the Indian model, such as ABS brakes and airbags in an attempt to raise its rating to a minimum of 3 stars from the current 2 star ANCAP rating. The 2012 model scored 6.6 points out of a possible 16, giving it a 3-star ANCAP rating.

Third facelift (2014–2022)
The Mahindra Scorpio received its facelift on 25 September 2014, featuring a redesigned front and rear fascias and a new dashboard. A revised automatic variant of the Scorpio was launched in 2015 and automatic transmission was discontinued in 2018 due to the launch of the Scorpio S11.

Mahindra Scorpio Classic (2022–present)
The current generation Scorpio will continue at the name of "Scorpio Classic" in two variants which is S and S11. Mahindra launched the Scorpio Classic in India on 19 August 2022. The new Mahindra Twin Peaks logo, reserved for Sport Utility Vehicles, is used, thereby replacing the old logo.

Safety
The Scorpio for India with no airbags and no ABS received 0 stars for adult occupants and 2 stars for toddlers from Global NCAP in 2016 (similar to Latin NCAP 2013).

Second generation (Z101; 2022)
The next generation of Scorpio was introduced on 27 June 2022, the prices for the same were first revealed on 21 July 2022 and bookings were open officially on July 30, 2022. It carries an "N" badge and is named Scorpio-N.

There is a complete overhaul in design, and the size of the new SUV is larger than its previous avatar. The petrol powertrain is 2.0-liter turbocharged, churning out 203 PS power and 370 Nm torque. The diesel powertrain comes with two states of tune, one churning out 132 PS power and 300 Nm torque and another 175 PS power and 400 Nm torque (380 N.m for manual variants). The SUV is also equipped with a shift on-fly 4-wheel drive system. The Scorpio-N comes with the same engines as the Thar and the XUV700.

The cosmetics changes consists of DRL placed with the fog lamp instead of headlights. The Scorpio-N is offered in 6- and 7-seat layouts. It will have an 8-inch infotainment system powered by Sony audio with dual-zone climate control, 4xplor-4x4 and an electric sunroof.

The Scorpio-N was also launched in Australasia alongside the XUV700 in 2023. The Scorpio-N will be launched in North America and the Middle East along with the XUV700 in 2024 and other electric models in the 2027.

In February 2024 Mahindra achieved the milestone of hitting 100,000 Production Mark since the launch of Scorpio N

Mahindra Scorpio N’s Reliability issues
A video of Mahindra Scorpio-N went viral in the month of March 2023, where the owner of the SUV took the car under a waterfall and water started entering his Scorpio N from the sunroof. This resulted in a social media debate.

India
The Mahindra Scorpio-N was rated five stars in adult safety and three stars in child safety by the Global NCAP under its new protocol in H2 2022 (based on Latin NCAP 2016).

ANCAP
ANCAP (aligned with Euro NCAP) rated the Australasian-market Scorpio zero stars in 2023 due to the lack of ADAS.