Look out, BYD Atto 3! The Mahindra XUV.e8 wants to be Australia's leading affordable mid-sized SUV EV alternative to the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Toyota bZ4X

Mahindra is set to challenge the medium SUV electric vehicle status quo as defined by the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and BYD Atto 3 with a battery electric vehicle (EV) version of the new XUV700.

To be unveiled late next year ahead of an anticipated 2025 launch in Australia, the XUV.e8 will likely be the first of a host of global EV export models from the 78-year-old Indian carmaker and tech giant, as it pivots to an electrified automotive future.

At the centre of the new Mahindra EVs is its INGLO (for ‘IN-dian heart, GLO-bal standards) lightweight 'skateboard' platform, and therein lies a clue to how an EV minnow can suddenly take on the big players, since some – but not all of – the technology is derived from the Volkswagen Group's MEB modular electric architecture.

Mahindra says that electric motors and battery components will be shared between the two companies, though the rest of the EV components will leverage the company's vast in-house electronics experience and knowhow.

Furthermore, Mahindra is dividing its new EVs into two groups – the XUV.e models that are electrified versions of existing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles like the XUV700-derived XUV.e8, as well as the coming Born Electric (BE) vehicles.

The latter were rendered during an announcement last August, in varying concept-car guises badged BE.05 (compact sports crossover), BE.07 (mid-sized sports crossover) and BE.09 (grand-tourer SUV coupe).

Earmarked for launch in India from October, 2025, the production versions of the BE EVs are charged with pushing the brand's boundaries in terms of styling and tech, and will have no ICE siblings.

The new Mahindra Advanced Design Europe studio in Oxfordshire, UK, will play a major role in all future EV development for the company, supported by similar outposts in Italy via its ownership of Pininfarina, as well as in India.

Plus, a dedicated EV research and development centre is currently under construction at Mahindra's impressive new SUV Proving Track proving ground in Tamil Nadu, India.

While no firm plans have been revealed, Mahindra says Australia will be an important destination for at least some of these EVs, starting with the XUV.e8, as it will play in the biggest vehicle segment in this country.

While the front and rear-end treatments as seen on the concept car revealed in August last year are clearly different its XUV700 cousin, the EV version largely mirrors it for size and proportion, with much the same core body and interior structure.

Dimensional differences are minor, with the EV said to be slightly longer at 4.74 metres, 10mm wider at 1.9m and a tad taller at 1.76m high. The wheelbase has also been stretched, by 12mm to 2762mm.

Being MEB-derived means platform scalability, with battery sizes of 60kWh to 80kWh according to grade. In the rear axle-mounted single-motor models, power outputs are said to be 170kW, while choosing the twin-motor option adds a motor up front for all-wheel drive, as well as a handy output boost of up to 250kW.

In contrast, the XUV700 in Australia uses a 149kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol unit driving the front wheels via a six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission (though AWD diesel models are offered elsewhere).

Additionally, an SUV coupe version is also anticipated to follow on in 2025, known as the XUV.e9. Whether that also makes it to Australia is unknown at this stage.

Beyond that, expect EV versions of the promising new Scorpio 4x4 wagon, its expected dual-cab ute spin-off and Thar off-road 4x4 – though it's unknown how much (if any) VW MEB technology can be used in these ladder-frame chassis vehicles.

What might surprise many Australians is that Mahindra is not new to EV, having acquired the Chennai-based Indian/American-controlled REVA Electric Car Company in 2010. REVA, which stands for Revolutionary EV Alternative, enjoyed success in Europe during the 2000s marketing an inexpensive Smart ForTwo-sized city car, which has since evolved under the umbrella of Mahindra Electric into a number of more-advanced three-wheeler city runabouts.

Additionally, Mahindra launched an electric version of the ageing SsangYong/KG Mobility Tivoli-based XUV300 late last year in India. Called the XUV400, it features a 39kWh battery with a claimed (non-WLTP) range of 456km. However, as SsangYong is no longer part of Mahindra, this will remain a regional model only that won't be exported to Australia.

According to Mahindra Chief of Global Product Development head, R. Velusamy, the company is working flat-out to ensure that its EVs meet consumer expectations and demands right from the get-go – for India as well as the rest of the world.

"Right now, our major focus is to get the platform development and integrate the multiple top-hats," he told Australian journalists in India.

"(We need to) double-up this technology and double-up this product, because everything is new – manufacturing technologies is new, battery technologies is new – get it right, get it into the domestic market.

"In parallel we will start thinking about international markets… because you want to get it absolutely right."