Despite appearing production ready, the Mahindra Pik-Up is still very much a concept. Picture: Charl Bosch
Ahead of its still-to-be confirmed, but widely believed production reveal in 2025, Mahindra has taken the wraps off of its new Global Pik Up at the world unveiling in Cape Town.
Premiering on 15 August, a date that falls in-line with Independence Day celebrations in India, this year held in South Africa after taking place in the United Kingdom last year, the internally designated Z121 represents a complete departure from the present day Pik Up that debuted as the Scorpio Pik Up (Getaway in India) 17 years ago.
First announced as being development in May this year, Global Pik Up conforms to Mahindra’s principles of a tough, versatile and capable lifestyle bakkie resplendent with modern tech and safety features, in addition to having been designed from the ground up based on a new body-on-frame platform.
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Its launch being in added response to South Africa’s ranking as Mahindra’s biggest export market outside of India, the Global Pik Up borrows heavily from the new Scorpio-N aesthetically with the same frontal design, as well as the new corporate Twin Peaks logo.
Showcased as a double cab, but confirmed to be introduced also as single cab with an extended cab being studied, the Global Pick Up won’t serve as a direct replacement for the Pik Up.
Instead, it will top Mahindra’s line-up in a three-tier bakkie product range made up of the Pik Up as the new mid-range offering and the workhorse-focused Bolero as the starting point.
Appearing production ready, but still referred to as a concept, the concept’s Scorpio-N touches ends at the front, with the rest of its design being unique from the windscreen back.
While no details relating to dimensions were revealed, the Global Pik Up sported chunky all-terrain tyres, illuminated treadplates integrated into the side-steps, a snorkel, a steel roof carrier and winch, with dual tow hooks nestled into the central section of the front bumper.
Sharing nothing at the rear with the current Pik Up, the Global Pik Up boasts a completely new facia comprising angular LED light clusters, a steel central bumper section, sports bar, two tow hooks and a pair of spare wheels inside the loadbin.
Kitted-out so as to provide a hint of what an off-road focused model could look like, the eventual production derivative is likely to omit some of the go-anywhere add-ons entirely, or possibly relegate a select few to the options list should approval be given.
Billed in the run-up to its reveal as a bakkie that will “break boundaries”, nothing could be deduced from the interior as a result of Mahindra having completely covered the cabin as a means of either hiding the final look, or to disguise the bare shell due to the Pik Up still being a concept.
Revealed though was the newcomer’s chassis made out of lightweight but also strong steel in order for it to obtain the maximum five-star crash rating devised by Latin NCAP, Global NCAP and Australia’s ANCAP.
“The core principles of this concept lie in crafting a multifaceted vehicle for the contemporary era,” Product Development and Technology President, R Velusamy said.
“We are focused on building a true global pickup that reflects authenticity, with engineering and safety features designed to resonate with the global audience”.
Its list of unspecified safety systems allowing it being capable of Level 2 autonomous driving, the Global Pik Up’s initial power option will come solely from Mahindra’s latest mHawk turbodiesel engine, likely to be the same 2.2-litre unit used in the Scorpio-N, and for other markets, a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol.
Paired to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox, four-wheel-drive models will have access not only to a low range transfer case, but also shift-on-the-fly, plus four modes; Normal, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Ruts and Sand.
For the first time in a Mahindra bakkie, the Global Pik Up will also offer a choice of driving modes, namely the humorously titled Zip, Zap, Zoom and Custom that debuted on the XUV 700 and later also on the Scorpio-N.
The work of Mahindra’s India Design Studio in Mumbai, the concept Global Pick Up, as mentioned, is only expected to enter production in 2025 with local production, unlike the Pik Up, being unknown and only expected to be announced in the run-up to said year.
More details are, however, only expected in 2024, along with an official name Mahindra has admitted it is looking into and which could differ from market to market.
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