Mahindra bets on 'Scorpio Lifestyler' to drive global export push

New Delhi: Homegrown auto major Mahindra & Mahindra is gearing up to intensify exports with its newly unveiled pickup targeting markets like South Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and Latin America, according to company ED & CEO, Auto & Farm Sectors, Rajesh Jejurikar.

The company, which has witnessed a multi-fold increase in its electric passenger vehicles sales last fiscal, is also confident of maintaining the growth trajectory with new products hitting the market, Jejurikar told PTI.

Recently, the company unveiled its pickup 'Mahindra Scorpio Lifestyler' which will hit the market in India in April 2027 and it will be launched as the 'Mahindra Lifestyler' in global markets.


"The Lifestyler pickup was developed as a global platform for access for mainly leveraging a global opportunity...It is an important part of our global growth strategy. We have been outlining that the 'Lifestyler' will be an important part of our global growth strategy," he said.

Sharing which global markets the upcoming pickup can be exported to, he said it can go to markets like South Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Even in the ASEAN region where there is a lot of demand for pickups, the company could look at possible markets for the new Lifestyler, he added.

"We are not present in the ASEAN markets except Indonesia. So we would have to open up those markets with these products," Jejurikar said when asked if M&M would export to countries of the bloc thereby looking to increase overall exports.

According to M&M's annual report for 2025-26, the company's automotive sector posted an export volume of 41,030 vehicles as against the previous year's exports of 34,709 vehicles, representing a growth of 18.2 per cent.

The company exports its SUVs to global markets such as Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Africa and South America.

Jejurikar, however, said the pickup, which will be sold in India as 'Mahindra Scorpio Lifestyler' "could also have a play" in the domestic market.

"We now see a potential emerging product opportunity in India for a product like that as well. What we've seen over the last three to five years is many more Indian customers who are valuing experiences, curated holidays, curated recreational experiences where they take their own gear with them.

"The Lifestyler, in a way, is a perfect pickup for them to experience that," he explained.

It could be the coffee plantation owner, or it could be someone who wants to go with friends or family on a camping trail, he said, adding "these are all new lifestyle experiences that are emerging, and that could be a very good opportunity for us to leverage that".

When asked about M&M's electric vehicles, he said in the last 16-17 months, the company's EV penetration has "literally gone from 0 per cent to now 12 per cent of our total SUV volume" after the launches of BE 6, XEV 9e and XEV 9S models.

M&M had recently introduced BE 6 SPORTEQ to add to the existing line-up and it will hit the market later this month.

When asked if the EV penetration could increase further, Jejurikar said,"We don't want to get too much into what the penetration will be because it's also a function of how much ICE (internal combustion engine) we sell...but it'll keep growing."

In the electric four-wheeler segment, M&M sold 57,472 vehicles in 2025-26 as against 14,183 vehicles in the previous year, a 4X jump, as per its latest annual report.