'We now have a brand new design studio and a brand new design vision'

Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor, Autocar India, speaks with Pratap Bose, Chief Design Officer, Mahindra & Mahindra at the showcasing event of the five new electric SUV concepts that the marque has to offer to the automotive industry in India.

- Hormazd Sorabjee

For a car designer, a clean sheet automotive project involving an EV portfolio is a dream come true. How does it feel as a first-timer with such a big responsibility?

I think this has been one of the most momentous days in my automotive design career. It’s a very important day as well, today being the 15th of August. It’s been lucky for us, the last couple of 15th Augusts where we have launched products, that have all gone and become blockbuster successes. This year of course we have a brand new design studio, brand new design vision and especially like you said, ‘the future is electric’ — so, a brand new electric car brand.

You have got the XUV brand and an all-new BE brand which is really pure electric that will give you a lot more freedom. But let’s talk about the XUV brand, clearly this is ICE tophats. As the platform is new, so how do you distinguish both of these sub-brands?

We have four brands as you all know — Thar, Bolero, Scorpio and the XUV. The XUV has a design language of its own from the XUV 500 and now the bigger XUV700. As you rightly said, the XUV brand will exist in the ICE and in the EV world. Whereas, BE is purely in the EV world. So, when you look at it, you straight away know it’s an electric car.

In terms of design philosophies, how do you approach it? Obviously, BE gives you more freedom because no real top-hats to go with ICE, you are not restricted in that way.