Make it three in a row: it was the Halo sportscar in 2014, the jaw-dropping XUV Aero in 2016 and this year, Mahindra has made it a hat-trick of surprise concepts with the reveal of the Stinger convertible SUV concept at the Auto Expo 2018.
Okay, so it wasn't really a surprise as we'd told you plenty about it already, but here's what you need to know about this radical new Mahindra: despite being a sub-four metre vehicle, it doesn't look odd.
It's based on the TUV300 platform, and it looks a lot like it, too. The face is clearly TUV, and the A-pillar, too, is rather upright. It has LED headlamps and the familiar Mahindra grille. The spare tyre is mounted at the back of the Stinger, behind the seats, and has a rather nifty shroud which reveals just a little bit of the spare.
It is a two-door SUV, and has a 2+2 seating layout, but there really isn't much space at the back. There's a large touchscreen infotainment system sitting bang in the middle of the dash, and the Stinger also has off-road modes, which you can select using a dial placed in the middle of the two front seats.
There's no word on the powertrain, but as it is based on TUV300 platform, it could well be powered by a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder mHawk diesel engine, which makes 101hp and 240Nm of torque in its current form.
It's still a concept at this stage, but depending on the response from the audience, Mahindra will take a call on whether it wants to put the Stinger into production.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Saptarshi Mondal
