Mahindra Scorpio N Won’t Conform To Australia’s Autonomous Emergency Braking Mandate

• Australia made AEB standard for all new vehicles registered for sale after March 1, 2023.

• Mahindra has found a way around Australian regulations, Scorpio N won’t get AEB.

• Mahindra found a loophole in the mandate, registered the SUV before the due date.

• Details on Australia-spec Scorpio N yet to be revealed.

Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), one of the chief advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), automatically stomp on the brakes of a car if a potential hazard is detected in front of the vehicle. 

Considering how crucial it can be in a life-or-death situation, the Government of Australia made the feature mandatory in all new vehicles certified for sale in the country post March 1, 2023. Now this would mean that the Mahindra Scorpio N, soon-to-be launched in Australia, should comply with the new regulations, right?

This is where a bit of trickery, or shall we say, legal brilliance(?!) from Mahindra comes into play as the carmaker found a loophole in the mandate, which it shall be exploiting to the max. 

The mandate only requires vehicles to be approved for sale or basically get registered for sale before March 1, even if the car doesn’t reach dealerships by then. And that’s what the carmaker did to ensure the new generation SUV gets sold in the Australian market. 

Given the fact that the Scorpio N isn’t offered with that particular feature in India as well, it isn’t like the carmaker is holding back for the Australian market. But come March 2025, Mahindra will have to offer this feature in the SUV, if it wants to continue to retail it in the country. Because that is actually when the requirement becomes absolutely mandatory, irrespective of the vehicle registered before or after the date. So yes, it remains to be seen what Mahindra will do then. 

Also Read: Blame BS6 Phase 2 Norms For Mahindra SUVs' Massive Price Hike

Mahindra hasn’t revealed which powertrain options the SUV will get in Australia, but both the 200PS turbo-petrol and the 175PS, 2.2-litre diesel, the latter in both two-wheel and four-wheel drive guises, are expected to be offered. Transmission options should include both manual and automatic gearboxes. 

In India, the Scorpio N is sold alongside the Scorpio Classic, and it is a larger and more rugged alternative to the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taigun and the MG Hector.