Anand Mahindra’s ‘20-year expiry date’ exchange with AI startup founder goes viral amid debate over Scorpio V8 engine

Industrialist Anand Mahindra responded with humour after an X user predicted he had a 20-year lifespan while urging him to build a high-performance version of the Mahindra Scorpio with a V8 engine. The exchange has drawn attention online, bringing renewed focus to the automaker’s engineering choices and its approach to hybrid technology.

Naidu wrote, “You’re probably going to be dead in 20 years. So why not die knowing that you made a really awesome V8 and V10 engine Imagine a Scorpio with a small block V8 that did 500 horsepower!”

Mahindra acknowledged the user’s admiration but took a humorous dig at the certainty of the prediction.

He replied, “Pranesh, I’m flattered that you’re a fan. But I’m a little shaken by the confidence with which you’ve handed me a 20-year expiry date! I know that would be a respectable innings, but I was hoping to stick around on the planet just a wee bit longer. So before we discuss V8 engines, could I persuade you to extend my warranty?”

The response attracted attention on social media, with users appreciating Mahindra’s witty handling of the unexpected remark.

On October 14, Mahindra shared a video featuring vehicles supplied to Bhutan’s government. The post highlighted the company’s electric vehicles and their connection to India-Bhutan relations. Recognising the vehicles in the footage, Mahindra wrote, “Well, those cars look familiar!”

He also thanked Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay for choosing the company’s automobiles, linking the selection to the relationship between the two countries.

The post prompted criticism from X user Nitin Meshram, who comments on local and global affairs and internet trends. Meshram questioned Mahindra’s engineering record, arguing that despite decades of vehicle manufacturing, the company had not built a V6 or V8 engine or a plug-in hybrid. The user also claimed that the company had not introduced anything that was an industry first.

The post attracted criticism from X user Nitin Meshram, who comments on local and global affairs and internet trends. Meshram questioned Mahindra’s engineering record, arguing that despite decades of vehicle manufacturing, the company had not built a V6 or V8 engine or a plug-in hybrid. The user also claimed that Mahindra had not introduced anything that was an industry first.

He referred to a diesel-electric hybrid passenger vehicle developed on the Scorpio platform and unveiled at the Delhi Auto Expo in 2006. Mahindra said the vehicle was never commercialised because “the market simply wasn’t ready.”

Addressing the criticism over V6 and V8 engines, Mahindra argued that developing such engines was not necessarily the biggest challenge. He wrote that building them “was never rocket science” and questioned whether India needed larger engines that consumed more fuel.

Mahindra wrote, “The real question was whether India needed more gas-guzzlers. We thought not. Sometimes innovation is about what you choose not to build. My advice? Look before you leap. Pause before you punch.”

The exchange over the Scorpio V8 has thus unfolded alongside a wider discussion about Mahindra’s product decisions, including its past hybrid vehicle development and its approach to larger, fuel-consuming engines.

Mahindra wrote, “The real question was whether India needed more gas-guzzlers. We thought not. Sometimes innovation is ab

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