One can well understand why nothing else will do for Mahindra with its new Scorpio because after years of plugging on with its archaic models based on the early 1950s Willys Jeep it has finally developed its first genuinely all-new true-blue product. Adil Jal Darukhanawala gets behind the wheel of the top-of-the-line turbo-diesel version to see whether it can cut the mustard, not only as an SUV but also as an alternative to the mid-size saloons.

“I wish we had Pavan join us 25 years ago,” Anand Mahindra told me when we were discussing his new offspring, the Scorpio. “All what you see here is the result of setting up an R&D centre which is just eight years old and which started with Pavan’s arrival from GM. Telco always had a head start on us because they had Sumant Moolgaonkar,” he added, for effect.

That amply tells one and all why so far it only kept faith with its Willys Jeep CJ3 inheritance, warts and all, and didn’t venture out boldly to develop a vehicle which broke away from the Jeep lineage. Getting Pavan Goenka to assemble a team of engineers for product development was the key and this long eight-year slog has seen Mahindra roll out its first genuinely new machine which to some extent banishes the Willys Jeep fixation. Were Mahindra to have yet stuck to that groove, I am sure they would have found themselves unable to get out of a rut of their own making in the years to come. The new Scorpio is a very good beginning to help the company head into a new direction while keeping the core values and essence of its products very much intact.