What is it?

Mahindra is expanding the Scorpio N family with a pickup truck or the Global Pik Up – as it is officially calling it at the moment. Unveiled in South Africa, at their now annual August 15 event, the truck will be launched around 2026. This was an expected step as every generation of the Scorpio, since its launch in 2002, has had a pickup truck body style which has been popular in global markets like Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

How is it on the outside?

The Global Pik Up concept retains the shape of the Scorpio N but is longer, larger, and wider. The face is dominated by a large blacked-out grille which has the new-generation Mahindra twin-peak logos sitting in the middle. The full LED headlamps are new as well and so are the vertical LED DRLs, thus giving the car an imposing presence.

In profile, you can see that the concept car is a four-door twin cab design but when this goes into production, we also expect a two-door single cab design with a bigger pickup bed. The wheels are large and chunky with an all-terrain pattern in the form of a five-spoke diamond-cut design. There’s no word yet on the ground clearance but one glance is enough to know that it is well over the SUV requisite of 180mm. At the rear, you get quad-pattern taillamps, 4Xplorer badging, and of course, a big and bold Mahindra moniker stencilled into the rear door of the pickup.

The concept car also had some accessories like a roof-mounted carrying rack, colour inserts in the steps, and tyre mounts in the pickup bed. Depending on the market, we expect these to be offered as standard fitment or lifestyle accessories. If presence is what Mahindra is going for, then this pickup truck certainly doesn’t lack any at all. However, Mahindra must decide whether it is going for a legacy name like the Karoo or will start a new legacy, given how crucial this Bakkie/Ute is in terms of future Mahindra products.

How is it on the inside?

The test car had a covered cabin, but design sketches show a cabin very familiar to the Scorpio N with the same steering, infotainment, climate control interface, and even the same layout in terms of elements. It also has the same colour scheme as the Scorpio N, but in production guise and depending on the market, we expect a full black cabin with silver inserts.

While we can only speculate most of the cabin details as of now, what we are sure of are the goodies that Mahindra will offer with the pickup truck. This list includes active and passive safety features, six airbags, Level 2 ADAS, 5G connectivity, sunroof, semi-automatic parking, drive modes, and a Harman audio system — possibly with inputs from AR Rahman! These are all features we are also expecting to see in the regular Scorpio N by that time.

The second-gen pickup when compared to the Scorpio Classic or second-gen Scorpio is 719mm longer and 80mm taller, with a wheelbase of 360mm over its SUV sibling. If we put these numbers to the Scorpio N that measures 4,620mm and has a height of 1,850mm and a wheelbase of 2,750mm, then the pickup will be 5,380mm long and 1,930mm high, with a wheelbase of 3,110mm. This is plenty of space for a double cab design with a large loading bed or just a large loading bed with a single cab design.

What is it powered by?

Officially, the Global Pik Up will be offered with Mahindra’s 2.2-litre diesel that powers the Scorpio N. This engine produces 172bhp/400Nm in both the MT and AT 4WD guises. Mahindra has announced a six-speed AT and six-speed MT for the pickup. At the global unveiling, Mahindra also announced the Scorpio. e-line-up of cars for the future and this pickup will be a part of the new family. The Scorpio N pickup will also debut a new-generation steel heavy ladder-on-frame platform. Mahindra has said that the new car will be lighter than the vehicles based on the current platform and will have improved stiffness and stronger mounting points.

What about pricing and competition?

Unlike the Scorpio pickups of the past that have played a side role in the series for India, this one will get its own spinoff. India is now a mature enough market for lifestyle products, helped by the longevity of the Scorpio brand and the runaway success of the Scorpio N. That formula is expected to boost the chances of this pickup succeeding.

Officially, the car will debut in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, MENA countries, and South American nations before an Indian debut in late 2026. We expect its pricing in the range of Rs. 12 lakh to Rs. 22 lakh. It will be a lower-priced alternative to the likes of the Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, and possibly a future model from Tata.