Indian auto major Mahindra and Mahindra Tuesday unveiled new micro-hybrid equipped variants of its Bolero and Scorpio line-up.Micro-hybrid is a stop/start technology, which enables the car’s engine automatically switch off when the vehicle comes to a complete halt in the neutral mode. The engine restarts when the driver steps on the clutch to shift the gear.
The technology is aimed towards fuel savings at stoppages at intersections and traffic jams.
Mahindra is currently offering the technology in Scorpio’s Bharat Stage 2 compliant M2DI variant and Bolero’s SLX version.
The price difference between vehicles equipped with micro-hybrid technology and the regular vehicles is between $85 and $89.
The system is based on the principle of not burning fuel when it is not required. It detects moments, during the drive, when the vehicle is idle and stops the engine. This conserves fuel, and also leads to low emissions.
Mahindra, which has dubbed the technology as FuelSmart, developed it in collaboration with German automotive component maker Bosch.
“This is a technological innovation, which we have developed with support from Bosch. This will give an average fuel saving of about five percent from the normal vehicles,” Mahindra president (auto motive sector) Pawan Goenka said.
The company is also considering to use the technology in its yet-to-be launched Ingenio sports utility vehicle, he said.
Goenka did not give a specific figure on the sales target for vehicles equipped with the technology.
He said the technology will initially be offered in the domestic market, adding: “We may look at similar markets like Southeast Asia and Nepal in future but our present focus will be on the domestic market.”
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