[sripal88]

Spotted Mahindra Born EV vehicles near Mahindra SUV proving ground (oval track) kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

Blue one is XUV.e9
Gray one is BE05
Dedicated platform electric vehicles

[arjab]

I don't want to sound spoilsport - and it's completely a personal view of mine - what is wrong with today's automobile styling?

I was looking at the profile views of these camouflaged Mahindra's and unfortunately neither appealed to me purely from a stylistic / aesthetic point of view. I am not talking performance etc at all.

They do not look macho, sleek, proportionate or elegant. The gray one looks particularly dumpy and bloated with bulbous panels and no visible sign of any cohesive flow of any stylistic lines from one panel to the other. And those ugly wheel to body ratio's

The blue one possibly is a bit better, redeemed by the nicely judged downward arc of the C/D pillar - but here again - the rear is jacked up like a flared skirt. And the slab sides of the nose do not point to a particularly sleek proboscis.

Is this kind of styling the latest "fad" or "want" of the millenial / Gen-Z car buying populace?

Maybe it is. Maybe this thing looks totally kosher and "in with the times".

I'd better shut up and stick to my appreciation of Jaguar E type's, Alfa Stradale,Stelvio's,Tonale's. the Lancia Fulvia's, Delta Integrale's, Vauxhall Calibra's, Range Rover Evoque's, Suzuki SS-80's, the evergreen Suzuki Samurai, the Mazda MX-5, M635CSi s-i-g-hhhh

[bobbyblr]

Originally Posted by arjab

I don't want to sound spoilsport - and it's completely a personal view of mine - what is wrong with today's automobile styling?

I think they are getting the design inspiration from Tesla Cybertruck.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by bobbyblr

I think they are getting the design inspiration from Tesla Cybertruck.

I think the overall body style of these BE vehicles (including Tata Curvv) is inspired by SUV Coupes like BMW X4/X6. But I think this is a wrong move as these SUV Coupes are niche products which don't sell in big numbers due to the compromised utility/practicality. They should make the BEs like any other SUVs which have more squarish rear ends.

[SKC-auto]

Originally Posted by Guna

I think the overall body style of these BE vehicles (including Tata Curvv) is inspired by SUV Coupes like BMW X4/X6. But I think this is a wrong move as these SUV Coupes are niche products which don't sell in big numbers due to the compromised utility/practicality. They should make the BEs like any other SUVs which have more squarish rear ends.

From what I understand, for better aerodynamic performance, the cars design should be like a water drop, or gradual slope like coupes instead of sudden 90° C pillar. The reason why most EVs have coupe design from Model X, Y to C40. Offcourse, these cars have brick like front fascia.

[PreludeSH]

They look more like the Citroen X series to me regarding the styling. Since its electric a new design might work while for ICE, people might be put off with radical styling.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by SKC-auto

From what I understand, for better aerodynamic performance, the cars design should be like a water drop, or gradual slope like coupes instead of sudden 90° C pillar. The reason why most EVs have coupe design from Model X, Y to C40. Offcourse, these cars have brick like front fascia.

True the brick like front, which is not very aerodynamic, defeats the purpose. I think the 'SUV Coupe' style is catching up.

[krishnakumar]

Originally Posted by SKC-auto

From what I understand, for better aerodynamic performance, the cars design should be like a water drop, or gradual slope like coupes instead of sudden 90° C pillar. The reason why most EVs have coupe design from Model X, Y to C40. Offcourse, these cars have brick like front fascia.

I agree. This smells right based on my limited understanding of aerodynamics as well.

When the windflow separates, it creates turbulence and causes drag. The new EV design goal, generally, I assume would be to minimise that resulting in these coupe style designs.

[s2K_scorpioN]

Originally Posted by Guna

True the brick like front, which is not very aerodynamic, defeats the purpose. I think the 'SUV Coupe' style is catching up.

Not entirely. The aerodynamic drag is a function of frontal area, but if you can keep the vehicle's boundary layer intact so the wake reduction is maximised, like with these teardrop designs (derivatives of Ahmed bodies), you could technically make up for frontal surface area limitations, especially with boundary layer deflectors smartly positioned on the frontal areas of the vehicle to reduce normal drag force on the vehicle.

In layman's terms, you get the best and not so much of the best. The butch frontal, the not so appealing coupe style rear of an SUV (although I do feel it is perceived as sophistication of the design in some circles). Aero benefits considering the size of the vehicle.

Mahindra has no choice. Being a manufacturer of SUV's and attempting to go electric, this design language is an obvious one.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by s2K_scorpioN

Not entirely. The aerodynamic drag is a function of frontal area, but if you can keep the vehicle's boundary layer intact so the wake reduction is maximised, like with these teardrop designs (derivatives of Ahmed bodies), you could technically make up for frontal surface area limitations, especially with boundary layer deflectors smartly positioned on the frontal areas of the vehicle to reduce normal drag force on the vehicle.

I don't know technically, but it is a common knowledge that a pointed front can pierce through air (or water) while the brick like front pushes the column of air/water ahead of it. That is very basic. Once the air gets to the side, how it converges without creating a void at the rear depends on the rear shape.

[s2K_scorpioN]

Originally Posted by Guna

I don't know technically, but it is a common knowledge that a pointed front can pierce through air (or water) while the brick like front pushes the column of air/water ahead of it. That is very basic. Once the air gets to the side, how it converges without creating a void at the rear depends on the rear shape.

I think it’s a complete package, having a pointy nose without a complimentary midsection transition would simply cause boundary layer degradation. I simply meant to say they go hand in hand in contributing to the drag.

On another note, have people with bug deflectors on their Mahindra’s noticed better fuel economy? I’m more interested in those of us who drive petrol. This might be a stretch, but I’m curious. Whether you do or you don’t, if you’d mention your cruising speed on the highway that would be helpful too.

[svsantosh]

The Fastback design reminds me a Haval Chinese car I see in Dubai. Hope it is not a rip off



Ps - When I saw the Tesla cybertruck I really thought it was one of these pranks by Elon, show something silly to the public and launch something cool. I think the cybertruck design is silly!

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by arjab

I don't want to sound spoilsport - and it's completely a personal view of mine - what is wrong with today's automobile styling? I was looking at the profile views of these camouflaged Mahindra's and unfortunately neither appealed to me purely from a stylistic / aesthetic point of view.

I think the "Vice President - Camouflage Department" of M&M will be very pleased with your comment.

This is the whole point of the automotive camouflage no? To hide the finer design details. For them, the wow factor at launch is a signiicant part of their publicity campaign.

XUV 700 design too was criticized (especially the rear) when it was seen in camouflage.

[TusharK]

Clearest spy shots of the Mahindra XUV.e9 interior

We recently shared spy images of the Mahindra XUV.e8. It’s essentially a pure-electric version of the XUV700. Another electric SUV that the brand has been working on is the XUV.e9. The latest spy images of this coupe-SUV give us a glimpse of the car’s interior.



The XUV.e9 and the XUV.e8 are likely to share the same interior. Spy images reveal a sleek and futuristic dashboard with a massive floating screen spanning its length. It houses three 12.3-inch displays.



The car also has a 2-spoke steering wheel similar to that in the new Tata Safari. The centre console houses a conventional gear shift lever and a rotary controller for the drive modes.



Outside, the XUV.e9 might feature a similar front-end design to the XUV.e8. The EV could get an LED light bar and vertically stacked headlamps. It has a coupe-like roofline and might get a notchback tail section.

Source: Autocar India

[wheeledwanderer]

It looks like the CS85 Couple from Changan Automobiles, the Chinese maker! All these years the Chinese copied from the world, and now it's the other way around...LMAO