Mahindra’s latest global SUV, the XUV500, has managed to clock 5000-plus bookings in the first week of its launch.

Bookings for the XUV500 had opened across five cities - Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai - from October 1, 2011, with a starting price of Rs 10.8 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base 2WD (W6) version. The company registered a mammoth 35,000-plus test-drive requests in the initial week itself.

Powering the XUV is the 2.2-litre mHawk engine developing 140bhp and 33.33kgm of torque. The XUV is available in front-wheel-drive as well as all-wheel-drive versions and there is a new cable-operated six-speed manual gearbox.

The XUV500 has a tough build, plenty of space on the inside and is well equipped too. The feature list includes LED reading lights, ESP, tyre-pressure monitoring, six airbags, traction control, ESP, hill-descent control, voice commands, cruise and audio controls on steering wheel, six-inch touchscreen Infotainment System with sat-nav, USB and iPod connectivity.

Speaking on the excellent response to the XUV500, Rajesh Jejurikar, Chief Executive, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra said, “It is a delight for us at M&M that the XUV500 has garnered 5000-plus bookings in a mere six days and across only five cities. We are humbled by this overwhelming response to the launch and would like to thank customers for the confidence they have reposed in the XUV500.”

Launched on September 29, 2011, the XUV500 is designed entirely in-house at Mahindra’s research and development facility at the Mahindra Research Valley at Chennai.