Indian Company Mahindra’s First Global SUV - XUV500 set to Take on the Global Stage

MUMBAI, October 18, 2011 -

The XUV₅₀₀ Becomes an Online and Social Media Sensation Overnight

India’s US $12.5 billion Mahindra Group recently launched its global SUV -XUV₅₀₀ - designed and developed entirely in-house at Mahindra’s world class R&D facility - the Mahindra Research Valley - located in Chennai, India’s automotive hub.

    (Logo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20110726/471752 )
Click here for a photo of the XUV₅₀₀ launch in India: www.mahindra.com/News/Press-Releases/1318942160.

The XUV₅₀₀ launched simultaneously in India and South Africa and will set the stage for the emergence of the Group as a force to be reckoned with in the global arena.  

The response to the XUV₅₀₀ in India was overwhelming with bookings sold out for the next four months within 10 days of its launch. New bookings of the XUV₅₀₀ have hence been temporarily deferred since October 11th, necessitated by the never seen before response to the SUV. The digital strategy reached out to over 10 million people across the globe, with 3.7 million online mentions of the brand.

“The XUV₅₀₀ represents Mahindra’s global ambitions as it seamlessly integrates world-class technology with the very best in Indian innovation. Its distinctive value proposition - bolstered by a new age digital strategy - has resulted in the XUV₅₀₀ becoming an overnight sensation in its home country, India and I am sure this success will be replicated across the globe,” said Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group.

Online sensation

In addition to finding favour with automotive enthusiasts, the XUV₅₀₀ also became an online and social media sensation, overnight. This was in large part due to the concerted digital strategy employed by Mahindra to increase decibel levels ahead of the launch. To begin with, the much anticipated name of the vehicle was revealed online, creating an aura of mystery around the vehicle. This was followed by a rather unique online contest which invited viewers to guess the price of the product, with the grand prize being an XUV₅₀₀. The contest fuelled further excitement leading up to the launch. The product website also hosted several preview videos of the product and the teaser TVC in the pre-launch phase, whetting the appetite of online enthusiasts everywhere. This created a great deal of momentum for the brand in the online space, with the digital campaign finally culminating in a live webcast which saw 1,50,000 viewers log on to witness the launch of Mahindra’s first global SUV platform.

A perfect ending to this social media and digital phenomenon was the morphing of the microsite into a very advanced and interactive animated video which allowed viewers to ‘unveil’ the XUV₅₀₀ themselves online and share it on their social media profiles for their friends to view.

The online strategy proved to be a resounding success as Mahindra’s latest offering in the SUV space grabbed eyeballs not only in India but across the world. The contest to guess the price of the XUV₅₀₀ resulted in 1,15,000 entries, while the product received 4,50,000 ‘Likes’ on Facebook alone. The product website received 11,00,000 unique visitors with 1,50,000 viewers logging on for the live webcast. This strategy reached out to over 10 million people across the globe, with 3.7 million online mentions of the brand.

Moreover, the XUV₅₀₀ website received a phenomenal response with over 5,90,000 visits from India, over 17,300 from the USA and 9,500 plus visits from the UAE amongst other countries such as UK, Singapore, South Africa, Germany, Canada and Australia

A truly global SUV

The XUV₅₀₀ incorporates significant inputs in styling and development from customers across the world.

It is truly unique and global for the manner in which it was conceived and designed with all R&D activities for this SUV aligned with best-in-class quality and standards, technology, testing norms, regulations and emissions from the very start. In fact, consumer research for the Mahindra XUV₅₀₀ was carried out in various Western markets, South Africa and India, with testing and validation of the product being done across Europe, Australia and South Africa among others.

About The Mahindra Group

The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology, vacation ownership, rural and semi-urban financial services, etc. Mahindra has a significant and growing presence amongst others, in the automotive industry, agribusiness, aerospace, automotive components, consulting services, defence, energy, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel and two wheelers.

A US $12.5 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra employs more than 1,37,000 people in over 100 countries. In 2011, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000 list, a listing of the biggest and most powerful listed companies in the world. For four years in a row, Mahindra has featured in the Forbes Asia’s Fab 50 List of the 50 best publicly traded companies in the Asia-Pacific regions. Dun & Bradstreet also ranked Mahindra at No. 1 in the automobile sector in its list of India’s Top 500 Companies.

In 2010, Mahindra featured in the Credit Suisse Great Brands of Tomorrow. Its flagship company Mahindra & Mahindra Limited is the only Indian automobile manufacturer to feature in the top 10 list of the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index in India - 2010, created by the Carbon Disclosure (CDP).  In 2011, Mahindra acquired a majority stake in Korea’s SsangYong Motor Company.

For further information, please visit www.mahindra.com and www.mahindra2wheelers.com.

Connect with us on www.facebook.com/mahindragroup.

For further information please contact:
Ms. Roma Balwani
Senior Vice President & Group Head, Corporate Communications
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
Phone: +91-22-2490-1441
Fax: +91-22-2490-0830
Email: balwani.roma@mahindra.com

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