Betting on the ladder frame

As Mahindra & Mahindra gets ready to launch its all-new Scorpio, we look at why the company is bullish on ladder frame vehicles which aren’t quite prefered nowadays. Pradyumna Kalagi reports.

- Pradyumna Kalagi

Mahindra & Mahindra will reveal its much-awaited new-generation Scorpio (codename: Z101) with a new moniker, Scorpio-N, on 27 June, while the current Scorpio will continue to be sold alongside and henceforth called the Scorpio Classic.

With the launch of the new Scorpio-N, M&M will have a total of seven ladder-frame vehicles in its portfolio. The list, at present, includes the Thar, Bolero, Bolero Neo, Marazzo, Alturas G4 and the Scorpio Classic. The ladder frame line-up will further expand when the carmaker launches the five-door iteration of the Thar in 2023.

While the company does have monocoque-based models in its portfolio – like the XUV300 and the XUV700 – the number of ladder frame models in its line-up is higher; in fact, it's more than any other car brand in India. In today’s times when monocoque constructions are preferred, why is Mahindra still betting big on ladder frame models?

The ladder frame legacy Mahindra entered the automotive business in 1945 when it began assembling Willy’s Jeep under license in India. A tough, four-wheel drive, body-on-frame vehicle was intended to take on the challenging Indian roads with ease. Soon M&M was established as the Jeep manufacturer in India, and it later went on to produce light commercial vehicles and tractors. In the years that followed, the company moved on from being just the assembler of SUVs to makers of one.