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Designing the Mahindra XEV 9S: Pratap Bose on Creating an EV

The XEV 9S is not for the same person who goes and puts their money down on the XEV 9e. This is designed for a person who has different sensibilities even though they’re in the market for an EV and not a conventional ICE platform. Pratap Bose, Chief Design and Creative Officer – Auto & Farms, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, talks to us about the design story of the XEV 9S

Building on the INGLO Platform for a New Customer

Aninda Sardar (AS): Is this an iteration of an existing design or is it a completely ground up design?

Pratap Bose (PB): The architecture is obviously INGLO, which we only sort of launched a year ago, two products already - the 9e and the BE 6. This builds on that platform. It is incredible to create a product for a segment of customers who really wanted a seven-seat option. You know we launched the 9e and the BE 6 and they’re both coupe architectures. Which also, by the way, was the first time we did that in the market. And, you know, we’ve got 30,000-plus customers today in seven months.

AS: So it shows that there’s acceptance.

PB: Yeah, there’s acceptance. If design fits in their life or the product fits in their life, they will buy it. We needed to bring a product that fit in the life of someone who wanted space and seven seats, or at least to have that option with a larger family or with friends. So that format is what we brought in.

Design vs Styling – Creating Presence on the Road

AS: There’s a little bit of a difference between design and styling, right? Can you talk us through a little bit of what is here by design and what part of it is here due to styling?

PB: By design you want to create presence, you want to create visual strength; a typical Mahindra road presence, the ability to turn heads, these are some of the things you try and do by design and then style is the elements you use to achieve that design. So we wanted something striking and brought in a face from the 9e, which is today instantly recognisable.

Why the XEV 9S Draws Inspiration from the XUV700

AS: But when you’re talking about the rear of the car, it’s very very close or at least inspired or influenced by the XUV700...

PB: It is absolutely by design. Of course, the lighting elements and the rear, lower bumper, etc, bring in that EV touch that we’ve seen in 9e. The 700 is in its fourth year of existence with us having done nothing to it. Yet we still average between 8,000 and 9,000 units a month, which is unheard of for a product which is four years old. Which means that people who buy it absolutely love it.

A Family-Focused EV for a Different Stage of Life

AS: So, this will appeal to a certain set of customers even within the Mahindra universe, right?

PB: Like I said, when we did the 9e, a lot of people came into the showroom, loved the car. But couldn’t buy it because they were in a certain life stage where you have a couple of kids or you live in a joint family.

Crafting a Premium EV Cabin

AS: Moving on to the interior of the car. You made a very strong point about materials and craftsmanship.

PB: If you look at the soft-touch elements on the doors, the seat material itself, the leatherette that we use, there’s a tactile quality, which is completely different from anything we’ve done before.

The Challenge of Refinement in an Electric Vehicle

AS: So, choosing materials for the cabin in an EV is more difficult.

PB: Absolutely. because there is no sound. Nothing masks what we call buzz, squeak and rattle (BSR). We tested for BSR, nothing masks that because there’s no engine.

Designing Within Cost Constraints

AS: Is it difficult to design to a price point?

PB: Look, price point is always a goal in any segment. So, it’s a fallacy that the more a car costs, the more the design team could do. Designers by nature work within those parameters.

How the INGLO Architecture Improves Interior Space

AS: Does the INGLO platform itself have an impact on design flexibility? PB: Yes, for example, look at the third row here; it’s a flat platform. An ICE equivalent of something like this would have had a fuel tank under the second row. And that limits the third row, which something like an INGLO doesn’t.

Pratap Bose's Favourite Design Elements on the XEV 9S

AS: And now its time for the final question – what are Pratap Bose’s favourite design elements on the car?

PB: Oh, I actually love the face. I think the face of the car always defines a brand but it also defines a model and I really like the face. I love the wraparound interior.