Mahindra’s Scorpio N is already known as the BigDaddy of SUVs, well, Mahindra today just unveiled an even bigger daddy of SUVs. It will be in a Pickup Truck’s avatar, based on the Global Pickup vision of Mahindra. 

On the auspicious day of 77th Indian Independence, a very loved and rapidly rising Indian Automobile brand - Mahindra - unveiled a star. On 15th August 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa Mahindra unveiled a concept of Scorpio N based Pickup Truck.

This Pickup Truck is a result of Mahindra’s Global Pik Up Vision for International markets. This vision will consist of new Pickup Trucks coming from Mahindra’s house. These trucks, as said, will be focusing more on the International markets of Mahindra. 

Recently, in markets like South Africa, Australia, etc. Mahindra has been planting its roots as deep as possible. Well, thanks to Mahindra’s Scorpio N and XUV 700, these two cars helped Mahindra print its name in the headlines of South Africa and Australia. Due to this, Mahindra has decided to focus more on the International markets, so that they could cater the audience according to their needs. And the Scorpio N Pickup Truck is a beginning for this task.

The Scorpio N Pickup Truck was designed completely at Mahindra India Design Studio (MIDS) situated in Mumbai, India. It is also codenamed Z121. 

The Scorpio N Pickup truck will be standing on the next-gen ladder-on-Frame platform of Mahindra. This platform is set to bring more versatility in terms of usage, Adaptability in terms of performance - can perform both in City commute and Highway runs - and can be heavily trusted on its safety standards & off-road capabilities, said by Mahindra.

Though looking at the concept, it seems, it is not too far from its production avatar. So, to go more deep into its details, let us understand what all this particular concept packs.

Exterior

The exterior of the car looks handsome! The car has been decently redesigned to differentiate it with its sibling, the Mahindra Scorpio N. We can notice a lot of changes made to the exterior to suit Mahindra’s new-age design pursuit. The stance overall happens to be bold and brave, which gives the truck a robust and rugged nature.

The Front of the truck contains a major design change. Well, starting with the grille, it no longer packs the traditional 7 slat designed grille. The concept shows the car to have a glossy or matte black grille with air vents included in it. Mahndra’s Twin peaks logo has been now upsized to suit the design proportions of the grille. The bumper on the other hand has been revised and made completely flat with thick metal bash plate starting from the bottom of the grille itself. The Headlamp unit has also been changed, where now it gets an L-shaped LED DRL strip placed above the 2 LED projectors acting as the headlights. The sting-like lower LED DRLs have not been continued in this concept, instead a simple, straight LED DRL strip has been introduced.

The Side of the vehicle is the place where we can see the most important change happened - the increased Wheelbase. The wheelbase has been increased to accommodate the lengthened luggage bed. The wheels in-use are of the same size, though the tyres wrapped over them are thick and big off-road tyres. We can even spot a stylish looking running board below the doors. The wheel arches and the wheel claddings have been kept the same in terms of design, though the rear wheel arch has been redesigned to blend in the design philosophy used at the back. The window area has been kept the same with slight change in the rear door’s window, as it has got an angular cut to continue and integrate the luggage bed design further. We can also see a roll cage attached at the back, over the luggage bed.

The Rear of the truck has been kept simple with a new tail lamp unit. The small design cut has been added to include the new tail lamp unit. The tail light for the truck has been redesigned compared to its SUV sibling, as it receives an integration of cubical elements in it. 

Talking about the Luggage bed, as it has now become important being a Pickup Truck. The luggage bed is long and we expect it to be spacious. Though the two huge spare tyres kept into the bed are just limited till the concept version. The production version is presumed to have the spare tyre placed in its traditional location (underbody).

We can also spot some additions, with the name of accessories. The reason I did not talk about them as they will not be provided with the standard Pickup truck, they will have to be purchased separately. Still, naming them, Fog Lights mounted on the roof, Towing mechanism attached on the bumper, A-pillar mounted snorkel, Roof luggage carrier, etc.

Interior

The Interiors have not been showcased officially during the event. But, we expect the interior to be upgraded too, as the outer technology will be updated, the interiors will surely be redesigned and technologically updated as well.

Powertrain

This is the heart of the matter, actually it is! Because Mahindra has announced a new-age mHawk engine for the Scorpio N Pickup Truck. This engine will be updated with all-aluminium - 2nd gen mHawk Diesel engine. Yes, it will be available just in the diesel fuel option. It will be mated to a 6-speed Manual and an AISIN sourced 6-speed automatic gearbox. A full-fledged 4WD system will be offered with upgraded mechanical bits. These upgrades will also allow the addition of Drive modes.

The new age mHawk diesel engine is set to get a power boost which will ultimately help in the performance delivery. And as said by Mahindra, the Scorpio N PickUp Truck will be versatile in terms of its engine, as it can present you a best-of-both-worlds performance - City commute and high-speed highway runs.

Launch

Launch of this truck is the main talking point, because as said earlier, Mahindra with this Pik Up vision will be focusing more on International markets. And it is accepted, as India is still trying to accept PickUp trucks as their lifestyle or daily drivers. Whereas in countries like Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, etc. PickUp Trucks are hugely popular and bought too. Therefore, commencing with the international markets would be good for the brand. 

But, it is not like the brand will not launch this truck in India. They will launch it in other ASEAN markets after launching them in the above named markets and of course, if launched in the ASEAN markets, Mahindra will bring it to India as well.

But, we should not expect the launch of this vehicle anytime before late 2025.