Mahindra XUV700 was not built in a day

In an industry where “nose-jobs” and “facelifts” are a big deal, you can only imagine the frenzy and the cacophony that accompanies the launch of a brand-new product. And if it happens to be by a homegrown auto manufacturer such as Mahindra & Mahindra, then you can be doubly sure that it is nothing short of a mega celebration. And that is precisely what we have been witnessing when it comes to their latest SUV, the Mahindra XUV700.  Afterall, it isn’t every day that an SUV receives such a tremendous response and that too within minutes of its bookings commencing. (25,000 bookings within 57 minutes and 50,000 bookings in 180 minutes, to be precise). Some feat that! But the raging question is how has Mahindra XUV700 managed such a staggering number of bookings and what is it about this SUV that makes it so desirable to so many across the country? Surely, there is more to it than just the new direction that the company is taking vis-à-vis its approach to building SUVs, not to mention, a completely fresh brand-identity. We caught up with Ramkripa Ananthan, Chief of Design, M&M Ltd, Velusamy R, Chief of Global Product Development, M&M Ltd, and