How Mahindra went from relying on global design houses to building a future-ready, digitally empowered, and globally capable design powerhouse in India.
21 Jul 2025 | 335 Views | By Darshan Nakhwa, Prerna Lidhoo & Ketan Thakkar
In the early 2000s, Mahindra & Mahindra was a fast-growing Indian automaker—but not one known for cutting-edge design. Back then, many OEMs, including Mahindra, turned to storied Italian design studios like Pininfarina and Bertone to shape their vehicles. Products like the Xylo and Marazzo had their roots in such collaborations. ...
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In the early 2000s, Mahindra & Mahindra was a fast-growing Indian automaker—but not one known for cutting-edge design. Back then, many OEMs, including Mahindra, turned to storied Italian design studios like Pininfarina and Bertone to shape their vehicles. Products like the Xylo and Marazzo had their roots in such collaborations. That era, though fruitful, has now given way to a new chapter—one where design is not outsourced, but deeply embedded into Mahindra’s core.
Mahindra’s Rise in the Indian Automotive Landscape
Mahindra & Mahindra has consolidated its position as a formidable player in India’s competitive automotive market, holding the No. 1 spot in SUV revenue and No. 2 in overall passenger vehicle manufacturing by revenue in FY2025. With a 20% year-on-year growth in SUV sales, reaching 551,487 units in FY2025, Mahindra has outpaced key rivals like Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors in the high-demand SUV segment.
The company’s strategic focus on premium SUVs and electric vehicles (EVs) has enabled it to capture a growing share of the urban, lifestyle-oriented consumer base, while competitors like Hyundai and MG Motor India push aggressively in the EV space. Mahindra’s ability to combine rugged brand heritage with modern design has positioned it as a leader in a market where SUVs now account for over 50% of passenger vehicle sales in India.
“Now design is entirely in-house—and that’s a global pattern,” says Ajay Saran Sharma, Senior Vice President of Design and Head of the Mahindra India Design Studio (MIDS). Speaking exclusively with Autocar Professional, Sharma walks us through Mahindra’s transformation into a design-first, digitally accelerated automotive company—one that is actively redefining how India approaches vehicle styling, both for domestic and global markets.
From Outsourcing to Identity
The decision to bring design capabilities in-house wasn’t merely about cost or convenience. It marked a deliberate strategic pivot, rooted in the company’s growing ambition to shape a distinctive and globally relevant design language.
“There was a time when going to design houses like Pininfarina or Bertone was incredibly useful—they brought breadth and fresh ideas,” Sharma explains. “But as our aspirations grew, and we wanted to differentiate ourselves globally, it was essential to establish our own design identity.”
This shift aligns with broader industry trends. As EVs and SUVs converge mechanically, it is design that often becomes the primary differentiator. In Sharma’s words: “Technically, now products are becoming very similar—design is the differentiator.” That differentiation, Mahindra decided, had to come from within—not from Milan or Turin.
Fast-Track into EVs
Mahindra’s pivot to in-house design comes at a time when it's ramping up its electric vehicle (EV) plans, targeting EVs to make up 20–30% of its portfolio by 2030, up from ~5% today. The November 2024 launch of the BE 6 and XEV 9e—both built on the purpose-designed INGLO electric platform—marked a significant step. In the first half of 2025, these models delivered around 11,643 units, according to FADA, positioning it as the clear #3 in India’s EV space behind Tata Motors (27,077) and MG (22,595). Sales have been on the upswing for Mahindra, rising spectacularly from 1,944 in March to 2,979 in April. June saw them cross the 3,000 mark, according to FADA.
Much of this traction in EVs can be attributed to Mahindra’s renewed design focus—where bold styling, digital integration, and future-ready architecture helped the BE 6 and XEV 9e stand out in a crowded and fast-evolving market.
In April 2025, Mahindra inaugurated its newly expanded Mahindra India Design Studio in Kandivali, Mumbai. The move marked the culmination of nearly a decade of quiet evolution since the company first set up its design facility in 2015. What began as a small, relatively lean studio is now a fully equipped, digitally advanced design powerhouse supporting a growing portfolio of products, ranging from electric SUVs to tractors and commercial vehicles.
Mahindra’s current portfolio expands over a dozen models, including pickup trucks, with prices ranging from Rs 7.99 lakh for the XUV 3XO to Rs 31.25 lakh for the premium XEV 9E. Key models like
the Scorpio, Thar, and XUV700 have cemented Mahindra’s leadership in the SUV segment, while the BE 6 and XEV 9E mark its strong entry into the electric vehicle market. Upcoming launches, including the Mahindra BE 07, Thar facelift, and XEV 7E, signal an ambitious roadmap to maintain momentum.
This diverse portfolio, combined with a focus on rugged yet premium designs, caters to both mass-market and aspirational buyers, giving Mahindra an edge over competitors like Hyundai and Kia, who focus heavily on premium EVs.
“The past five years have seen a huge upswing in the number and kinds of products we’re working on,” Sharma says. “We now have ambitions that go far beyond India—every product must stand up globally.”
The new studio is purpose-built for that ambition. With integrated digital modeling, clay milling, full-scale visualization, and rapid prototyping, the facility enables concurrent workflows, faster decision-making, and, perhaps most critically, the preservation of design intent from sketch to production.
One of Sharma’s strongest convictions is that great design must be protected through the development cycle. That’s why MIDS has built its workflows around what he calls “undiluted vision.”
“Normally, what happens is you get inputs from suppliers, engineers ask for changes, and manufacturing says this part won’t be made. The design gets diluted,” he explains.
At Mahindra, early cross-functional collaboration helps preserve the original concept. “We’ve managed to get those inputs in time—either to make changes that don’t affect the design intent or to push through new technologies,” Sharma adds. One example is the plastic tailgate of the XUV700—an engineering solution developed to retain a specific styling feature.
Speed Through Specialization
Perhaps the most transformative shift at MIDS has been in team structure. Where designers were once generalists, they are now specialists. “Earlier, designers were generalists—they sketched, modeled, even helped in clay modeling. Now we have eight dedicated verticals, each with deep domain expertise,” says Sharma.
This focused approach across concept development, digital modeling, visualization, and more—has dramatically reduced product development timelines. “What used to take five years now takes three. And in some cases, with a brand-new mechanical platform,” he adds. In a fiercely competitive market where first-mover advantage matters, speed is not a luxury—it’s table stakes.
Much of this urgency is driven by changing consumer behavior. Vehicle ownership is increasingly being viewed through the lens of rapid refresh, personalization, and frequent upgrades. “Earlier, product lifecycles were 5–6 years. Now it’s down to 3–4 years, especially in the mass-market 4-meter and 4.3-meter segments,” Sharma observes.
To meet this, Mahindra has adopted a multi-layered design cadence. “When we start a project, we simultaneously begin work on its facelift and the next generation. That’s the 1-2-4 cadence—one year for the limited edition, two years for a facelift, and four years for the next model,” he explains.
The company has also built a modular design library—with trims, textures, colors, and components that can be mixed and matched to quickly launch variants. “You want a stealth edition? We have the black leather, the dark chrome finish—all ready to plug and play,” he notes.
While Mahindra’s product portfolio spans SUVs, tractors, pickups, and trucks, its design team does not work in silos. Instead, the company has embraced a unified, cross-segment design model. “There’s just one concept design team, one interior design team, and so on. A designer might be working on a tractor and an SUV in the same week,” Sharma says.
This structure not only improves resource utilization—it also fuels creative cross-pollination. “No one feels boxed in. Designers are exposed to different challenges, which sharpens their skills,” he adds.
Mahindra’s design strategy is increasingly geared toward global markets. Still, it is predominantly an India-focused play, and M&M is looking to expand globally. And hence the company’s global design network, including Mahindra Advanced Design Europe and Pininfarina in Turin, complements MIDS to ensure products like the BE 6 and Thar Roxx meet international standards while retaining Mahindra’s rugged DNA.
Partnerships with global giants like Volkswagen for EV motors and Qualcomm for chipsets further enhance Mahindra’s technological edge, positioning it to compete with global brands like Toyota and Skoda. The OJA tractor range, launched in South Africa, exemplifies Mahindra’s ability to adapt its design expertise to diverse global needs, from lightweight tractors to premium electric SUVs.
Digitally Enabled
The adoption of digital tools has enabled much of Mahindra’s design acceleration. High-quality digital renderings, Class A surfacing, and collaborative platforms have replaced slower legacy workflows.
“Front-loading the design process digitally helps us get early sign-offs and red-flag issues before they become bottlenecks,” Sharma says. With tools like Microsoft Teams and real-time data sharing, design reviews can now be completed in hours rather than weeks. “You can literally do your data review then and there, share a screen, make the tweak, and get it signed off,” he adds.
As the automotive world explores AI in design, Sharma is clear about its limitations. “AI is artificial—it doesn’t have imagination,” he says. While the studio is beginning to explore automation for repetitive modeling tasks, Sharma views AI as an assistant—not a replacement. “AI works with what’s already happened. If you want to be visionary, that’s still human territory,” he asserts.
Despite its global aspirations, Mahindra remains deeply connected to its Indian customer base. Designers regularly visit markets and observe users, particularly in the commercial and agricultural segments.
“In trucks, for instance, we were told to make it feel more car-like and premium. That led to products like the Vero. In tractors, ergonomics take precedence over aesthetics,” Sharma shares.
While structured customer insight plays a role, focus groups alone do not dictate design direction. “Too much referencing can pull you back. You lose the courage to break the mold,” he cautions.
Today, MIDS has a team of around 100 designers. Sharma is deliberate about keeping it lean. “Right now, the team size is optimal.
We may expand by 20%, but beyond that, efficiency drops,” he says. For peak workloads or digital conversion of clay models, Mahindra outsources to partners in countries like Korea. “It keeps the internal team focused on the creative heavy lifting,” Sharma notes.
At any time, the studio is managing 20 full-scale programs and tracking another 20 in early-stage development. As Mahindra scales up its global ambitions—especially across Europe and Southeast Asia—design is playing an increasingly strategic role.
“We design as Mahindra. The products should be international in appeal, but they are still Mahindra in identity,” Sharma says. Products like the BE.6, 9e, and Thar Roxx reflect this approach—international in styling but rooted in brand DNA.
Mahindra’s strategic design overhaul has translated into tangible market success, with the company achieving its highest-ever SUV sales of 551,487 units in FY2025, a 20% increase over the previous year. The company intends to sustain this double-digit growth momentum in FY-26 too.
The company’s EV sales have also surged, with 2,979 units registered in June 2025—a 512% year-on-year jump—driven by BE 6 and XEV 9E. These figures have propelled Mahindra into top 3 EV players in India, with a 22.9% market share, closing the gap with Tata Motors and MG Motor India.
“Design is not about local vs global anymore—it’s about excellence and brand identity. That’s what we’re building,” Sharma concludes.