Indian politicians were once known to lead a very humble lifestyle where they had dedicated their whole lives to the welfare of the public. With time, this changed, and we now know that the definition of politics has also changed. We see politicians and leaders travel in expensive cars and SUVs. Many of them even push for electric vehicles too. Union Minister of Heavy Industries, H.D. Kumaraswamy, recently posted a set of images and a reel on his social media profile where he was seen doing vahan puja. One of the vehicles that caught our attention in the video was a Mahindra XEV 9E.
In the video, we see Mr. Kumaraswamy along with his wife on the porch of their official government residence in Delhi. They had aligned the cars for a proper religious ritual with a priest also present at the spot. In most Indian states, people follow Navratri, and Ayudha Puja, or Weapons Puja, is conducted on the ninth day of Navratri to pay respect to the tools and weapons that one utilizes on a daily basis. This is an ancient ritual, and over time, the definition of weapons has evolved.
In this case, the politician has been using these vehicles every day, and they have been serving him well without any issues. That is the reason why he decided to perform the ritual on his cars. On the porch, we see a Toyota Innova Hycross, two Maruti Suzuki Ciaz sedans, and a Mahindra XEV 9E.
All these cars are finished in white, and all of them have Government of India stickers on the bonnet. We assume that the Mahindra XEV 9E was the latest addition to Mr. Kumaraswamy’s garage. When Mahindra launched the XEV 9E, they took the car to H.D. Kumaraswamy and he checked out the car and even drove it. He was overwhelmed by the overall experience and even mentioned that Mahindra Automotive has come a long way from where they started.
He might have been really impressed with the XEV 9E, and we feel that is the reason why he might have bought one for himself. The Mahindra XEV 9E is one of the most feature-loaded and futuristic-looking EVs from their lineup. It is the flagship EV from Mahindra and is available with a host of premium features.
The design of the EV is very similar to the concept that Mahindra had shown us a few years ago. The XEV 9E is based on Mahindra’s INGLO platform and it gets premium features like three large 12.30-inch screens on the dashboard, which Mahindra calls the “Cinemascope Cockpit.” Additionally, Mahindra provides two screens for rear-seat passengers to ensure they don’t miss out on entertainment.
Other features include VisionX Augmented Reality HUD, MAIA (Mahindra Artificial Intelligence Architecture), a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 processor, 24 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of internal storage.
The SUV also comes with seven airbags, Level 2+ ADAS, a 360-degree camera, and more. Other notable features include leatherette upholstery with seat ventilation, electrically adjustable seats, an infinity glass roof with dynamic lights, and multi-zone climate control.
The electric SUV is available with two battery pack options. The lower variants get a 59 kWh battery pack, while the higher variants get a 79 kWh battery. The smaller battery version generates 228 bhp and 380 Nm of peak torque, offering a claimed range of 542 km. The bigger 79 kWh variant generates 282 bhp and 380 Nm of peak torque, with a claimed range of 656 km. The one that the minister bought is likely to be the higher variant with the bigger battery.