Mahindra has made a seven-seat configuration standard in the top-spec Scorpio, but it has yet to confirm when a long-awaited safety update is coming.
The flagship Scorpio Z8L, priced at $46,990 drive-away, now comes with a three-seat second-row bench instead of two captain’s chairs for a total of seven seats. It’s now $1000 more expensive than before.
The entry-level Z8, priced at $41,990 drive-away, sticks with the second-row captain’s chairs. Its pricing is unchanged.
The change for Australia was made on the production line back in December.
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Mahindra launched the Scorpio in Australia back in 2023, and confirmed at the time that a seven-seat option was coming “as part of the mid-product cycle update” for the large off-road SUV.
It also confirmed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) would come as part of a mid-life update.
The company said it wouldn’t have the vehicle tested by safety authority ANCAP until this was fitted, but ANCAP subsequently purchased Scorpios to test and awarded the SUV a zero-star rating.
After the announcement of this rating, Mahindra reiterated a safety upgrade was coming and that it would have the vehicle retested. At the time, this update was understood to be arriving during the second half of 2024.
While the previously promised seven-seat option is now available, there’s still no word on when AEB is coming.
This feature was made mandatory by Australian Design Rule (ADR) 98/00 – Advanced Emergency Braking for Passenger Vehicles and Light Goods Vehicles.
It was required on all newly launched vehicles from March 1, 2023 – a deadline the Scorpio just scraped by – and will be mandatory on all new vehicles complied from March 1, 2025.
That means Scorpios without the feature must be complied by March 1 to be sold in Australia.
Mitsubishi and Suzuki have confirmed they will have supply of vehicles that will be affected by the regulation, which will minimise the impact on their dealers.
Mahindra Australia has reiterated the Scorpio will get a mid-cycle update to meet ADR requirements. It has yet to confirm exactly when this update will arrive.
We are clarifying with Mahindra as to how much stock of vehicles compiled before March 1 will be available to tide dealers over until an updated model comes.
Also affected by the ADR is Mahindra’s Pik-Up ute, though the XUV700 mid-sized SUV features standard AEB among a suite of active safety features.
Mahindra has previously confirmed a Pik-Up replacement is due here by mid-2026, and the company says it’ll meet ADR requirements at launch.
The new ADR has already led Suzuki to axe the Ignis, which doesn’t have any form of AEB.
Other vehicles have had to be axed not because they lack AEB but because their systems don’t meet the requirements outlined in the regulation. These include the Toyota Granvia, Mazda 6, and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Eclipse Cross.
Stay tuned for more coverage on the Mahindra Scorpio.
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