For Pratap Bose, Chief Design & Creative Officer – Auto & Farm Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra, the new NU_IQ platform is a dream canvas – a base that allows them to bring design ideas to life in their purest form.
According to him, every new project begins with tough questions: what’s new, what’s iconic, and how can opposites come together to create something fresh? These questions spark creativity and push the team to go beyond the ordinary.
The team explored whether a product can be “born iconic”, rather than only becoming iconic over time. Interiors are designed to go beyond measurements, focusing on how space feels, the role of materials and colours, and creating a true sense of brand identity.
As per him, the core of this journey is Mahindra’s HEARTCORE philosophy, which is about designing SUVs straight from the heart. The team has embraced the idea of ‘Opposites Attract,’ blending strength with sportiness, toughness with sophistication, and practicality with emotion.
Elaborating the process, Bose said design always begins with proportions – the stance, width, and height that give an SUV its authentic presence. This is followed by surfaces and details – bold shoulders, muscular arches, and fine touches that make the design feel complete. Interiors are just as important, with the focus on how space feels, not just how it measures. “The choice of colours, textures, and materials plays a big role in making each vehicle feel special,” and true to Mahindra’s brand.
The new Vision concepts – such as Vision.S, Vision.T, Vision.SXT and Vision.X show how this thinking comes alive. They carry strong proportions, wide stances, and class-leading ground clearance, yet balance this with sportiness and a modern, human-friendly interior, he said. The design language also mixes digital screens with physical controls, making technology easy to use without losing the tactile feel, he mentioned.
Experiments With Limited Editions
Mahindra also experiments with limited editions that add an emotional layer to design. One example is the recently launched Batman-inspired BE 6, limited to just 300 units. Speaking to Mobility Outlook, Bose said, “The idea was born after fans started calling the BE 6 their ‘Batmobile’ on social media. The result is a special edition with a unique satin black finish with metallic flecks, golden highlights, suede interiors, and larger 20-inch wheels. For buyers, it wasn’t just a car but a collector’s item, carefully crafted with exclusive materials and tested to the same standards as any regular Mahindra SUV.”
Bose revealed that this project highlighted the “importance of exclusivity and storytelling, making customers feel part of a special club.” The limited edition was positioned not as a repaint with badges, but as a deeply reimagined product with bespoke materials and finishes, reflecting the OEM’s ability to merge culture, fandom, and automotive design, he pointed out.
Behind all this is the collaboration between Mahindra India Design Studio in Mumbai and Mahindra Advanced Design Europe in Banbury, who together shape products for both India and the world. With design thinking rooted in emotion, proportion, and innovation, the automaker is not just making SUVs – it is creating vehicles that “people can connect with, remember, and truly fall in love with,” Bose concluded.
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