Mahindra Unveils Concept That Previews a Ford Ranger Rival, Calls It a 'Pik Up'

We can expect the production version of this wild-looking concept, codenamed Z121, to be a little toned down compared to the rugged-looking concept that Mahindra unveiled at the Futurescape event in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Global Pik Up, as the Indians call it, will be a truck version of the Scorpio N SUV, a best-seller in the carmaker’s lineup. Hard to believe, but the name is not a spelling mistake. A truck version of the Scorpio Classic bears the exact same designation.

The model is set to become a production model in 2025 and will come into the market to fight the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. It will end up in its home market, as well as in South Africa, New Zealand, the Middle East, and Australia. It has very little chance to set wheels on American or European soil where safety and emission standards are way more stringent than in the countries where Mahindra plans to sell the model.

The Pik Up pickup will come with a front end that will be almost identical to that of the Mahindra Scorpio SUV. It will, though, get yellow market lights in the radiator grille. Meanwhile, the front bumper will feature a different design, sporting a metal plate and recovery points, as a confirmation that the model is off-road ready. Vertical DRLs will also be there.

Not at all surprising is the fact that the truck will feature a longer wheelbase compared to that of the SUV, since the model is getting a stretched version of the Scorpio N's ladder frame chassis. And, of course, it gets what makes it a pickup truck from the very beginning: a dual cab and a load bed.

A raised suspension brings along a higher ground clearance than that of the SUV. The concept features all-terrain tires, side steps, a snorkel, and a roof rack with integrated LED lights. Two spare wheels are placed in the rear bed. It remains to be seen how many of these will make it to production.

The rear end sports recovery points as well, and there are LED taillights at corners.

And it is India we are talking about, so diesels are still all the rage. The model will get Mahindra's next-generation diesel power plant, Autocar India reports. The mHawk will be mated to either a six-speed manual or an Aisin-sourced six-speed auto box, which will transfer power to all four wheels. The driver will be able to select one of the four drive modes available: Normal, Grass-Gravel-Snow, Mud-Rut, and Sand.

Mahindra prepared Level-2 ADAS capability, semi-automatic parking, and 5G-based connectivity on board.