M&M launches improved Maxximo VX minivan to rival Omni, Eeco

Just 15 months after it launched the Maxximo Mini Van, Mahindra & Mahindra announced its intention to expand its offerings in the minivan segment with the launch of the upgraded Maxximo Mini Van VX last Friday.

The country’s largest utility vehicle manufacturer is looking to rival Maruti Suzuki’s Omni and Eeco models that dominate this segment, with about 60 per cent market share.

The minivan will be powered by the same two-cylinder 909 cc C2 CRDe diesel engine that puts out 25 bhp and gives a claimed 18-20 km to the litre. The eight-seater vehicle will be available in both BS III and BS IV compliant options.

What’s New?

The new VX minivan has a complete hard top body with sliding doors which is different from its existing semi-hard top variant. It will be available with the air-conditioning feature that was missing in the earlier variant. The company claims that it has 30-40 per cent more room than the Omni. 

The VX minivan has a monocoque chassis with booster-assisted Twin LSPV brakes and frontal crash protection as safety features.

At Rs. 3.7-3.8 lakh, it is priced about a lakh rupees more than the Omni and about Rs 40,000 more than the Eeco. However, both these Maruti Suzuki vehicles are available only in petrol and CNG variants, whilst all Maxximos versions run a diesel engine.

After the Maxximo load, the semi-hard top minivan and the CNG pick-up, the VX minivan will be the fourth vehicle to roll out from M&M’s Chakan plant on the same Maxximo platform.

Expectations

The minivan industry in India sells around 20,000 units per month out of which Maruti’s Omni and Eeco account for around 12,000 units, followed by Tata Motors’ Magic and Magic Iris at 4,500 to 6,000 units per month. M&M will expect to ride on the projected 10 per cent growth in this segment. The existing Maxximo minivan already sell 2,000-2,500 units per month and M&M will hoping to add a minimum of 1,500 units per month to that figure.