Company expands battery options to mid-tier variants as it seeks to broaden appeal of electric SUVs.
04 Jul 2025 | 3258 Views | By Shruti Shiraguppi
Mahindra has announced that its larger 79 kWh battery pack will now be available in the Pack Two variants of its BE 6 and XEV 9e electric SUVs, a strategic move that directly addresses customer demand patterns the company identified after launch.
The decision comes two months after Mahindra ...
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Mahindra has announced that its larger 79 kWh battery pack will now be available in the Pack Two variants of its BE 6 and XEV 9e electric SUVs, a strategic move that directly addresses customer demand patterns the company identified after launch.
The decision comes two months after Mahindra executives revealed that well over 75% of bookings were concentrated in the expensive Pack 3 variants, creating an unsustainable sales mix that threatened long-term volume growth.
In May, Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director and CEO of Mahindra's Auto and Farm Sectors, acknowledged that customer preferences had contradicted the company's original assumptions. "There is a very large segment of people who will want 79 kWh in lower packs," he said, noting that range had proven more important to buyers than premium features.
The new Pack Two pricing brings the 79 kWh option down to ₹23.50 lakh for the BE 6 and ₹26.50 lakh for the XEV 9e - a significant reduction from the previous ₹24.50 lakh minimum when the larger battery was exclusive to Pack 3.
Jejurikar had earlier warned that the company would "saturate at a price point which you will not be able to sustain high volumes at," emphasizing the need for at least 25-30% of volumes to come from lower-priced variants.
Sales Mix Rebalancing
The 79 kWh battery delivers a claimed 500 km city range compared to 400 km for the 59 kWh pack - a difference that has proven crucial for Indian buyers still wary of electric vehicle limitations.
"Range is really important over many of the other features that we are offering," Jejurikar observed in May, highlighting how Mahindra's initial strategy of reserving the larger battery for feature-rich variants had missed customer priorities.
The company's learning reflects broader challenges in India's EV market, where infrastructure concerns and long-distance travel requirements make extended range a primary consideration for many buyers.
Mahindra's current delivery schedule has meant that early sales have been dominated by high-priced variants. Pack 3 deliveries began in March, followed by Pack 3 Select in June, with Pack 2 starting only now in July. The entry-level Pack 1 variants won't arrive until August.
This staggered rollout has resulted in what Jejurikar called "quarter 4 sales and quarter 1 sales" being "Pack 3 only," creating artificially high average selling prices that aren't sustainable long-term.
As of May, Mahindra had delivered 6,300 electric SUVs, though the company hasn't provided updated figures. The hope is that Pack 2 availability, combined with display vehicles in showrooms, will shift the booking pattern toward lower-priced variants.
The move positions Mahindra's 79 kWh battery against competitors who typically offer smaller battery packs. "Nobody else has 79 kWh, and a 79 kWh which is giving the kind of range that our customers are beginning to experience is a big selling point," Jejurikar noted.
However, the strategy carries risks. By offering extended range at lower price points, Mahindra may cannibalize sales of its higher-margin Pack 3 variants, potentially impacting profitability even as volumes increase.
The Pack Two variants retain core features including Level 2 driver assistance systems and a 16-speaker audio setup, though they lack some premium appointments found in Pack 3. Power output varies with battery size - 210 kW for the 79 kWh pack versus 170 kW for the 59 kWh version.
The pricing adjustment reflects the reality that Indian EV buyers prioritize practical concerns like range over luxury features - a lesson that could influence how other manufacturers structure their own electric vehicle lineups.
Complete Pack Two Pricing:
Deliveries of the new Pack Two variants begin end-July, with existing customers able to upgrade their bookings to the 79 kWh option - a flexibility that may help Mahindra rebalance its sales mix toward the sustainable volumes it needs for long-term success.