Mahindra Scorpio still has a sting

The tough old Mahindra Scorpio may be over ten years old, but it is by no means ready for retirement. In fact, as the numbers reveal, its sales have overtaken not only its sibling the XUV500’s, but also the hugely popular Renault Duster’s as well, for the last three months. 

The Scorpio managed to sell 4,345 units in September, 3,356 in August and 3,256 units in July, besting the Duster’s 3,973, 2,967 and 3,089 units for the same months, respectively, comfortably eclipsing Renault’s superstar. In fact, the Mahindra Scorpio achieved a significant sales landmark of 400,000 vehicles last month. 

 

Although, under the skin, the Scorpio is basically the same SUV that was launched way back in 2002, Mahindra has made sure to update it regularly to keep the car fresh. These updates included a series of cosmetic and mechanical changes over the years, the most significant of which were the addition of the 120bhp, 2.2-litre mHawk engine, a ‘micro-hybrid’ stop-start system and a six-speed automatic gearbox option. 

 

We’ve often seen huge sales numbers from exciting new models at the time of their launch, only to watch them fall considerably just a short while into the car’s life cycle, after the hype has faded.

 

However, the Mahindra Scorpio’s sustained success over the years bucks this trend and instead points to another facade of our car market, where trusted products maintain a steady rate of sales, despite fresher competition.

 

A revamped Mahindra Scorpio (code:W105) with significant exterior and interiors changes to keep it up to date, is being developed but it won’t hit the roads until the end of 2014.