Mahindra has officially launched the facelifted XUV700 in India under a new name — XUV 7XO — with prices starting at Rs 13.66 lakh (ex-showroom). The updated SUV brings noticeable changes in design, technology, and features, strengthening Mahindra’s presence in the highly competitive mid-size SUV segment.

The XUV 7XO will rival models such as the Tata Safari and MG Hector. Test drives will begin from January 8, while deliveries of top-end variants are scheduled to start from January 14. Entry-level variants will be delivered from April 2025.

Engine and powertrain options

The Mahindra XUV 7XO continues with the same engine lineup seen on the outgoing XUV700. Buyers can opt for a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine producing 200 hp and 380 Nm of torque, or a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine delivering up to 185 hp and 450 Nm. These engines have been retained to offer a familiar balance of performance and drivability.

Exterior design updates

Design updates on the XUV 7XO draw inspiration from Mahindra’s newer electric vehicle concepts. The SUV gets revised LED daytime running lights, projector headlamps, and a refreshed grille featuring vertical chrome accents. At the rear, a connected full-width LED light bar with inverted L-shaped elements gives the SUV a more contemporary appearance.

Additional updates include new dual-tone alloy wheels, redesigned bumpers, and new colour options, collectively giving the XUV 7XO a sharper and more modern road presence.

Interior, features and technology

Inside, the Mahindra XUV 7XO introduces significant upgrades in technology and comfort. The SUV features a coast-to-coast triple 10.25-inch HD screen setup, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, DPO support, the AdrenoX infotainment system, and Alexa integration offering over 60 connected functions.

Luxury features include a leatherette interior package, Skyroof, cruise control, a powered driver seat with memory, and push-button start. Safety and wellness features include six airbags, a 540-degree camera, blind spot monitoring, air purifier, DVR, and smart locking technology. The SUV also gets R18 diamond-cut alloy wheels, bi-LED headlamps with DRLs, roof rails, rear spoiler, and telescopic steering.

Notably, the XUV 7XO integrates Alexa and ChatGPT, enhancing the in-car digital experience.

Variants and pricing

The Mahindra XUV 7XO range starts at Rs 13.66 lakh (ex-showroom). The AX7L diesel-manual variant is priced at an introductory Rs 22.47 lakh (ex-showroom) for the first 40,000 buyers, while the AX7 diesel-manual is priced at Rs 18.95 lakh (ex-showroom).

A major outage hit Google Meet on Wednesday, leaving thousands of users across India unable to join or host video meetings. The disruption forced many to cancel work calls, online classes and scheduled interviews, triggering frustration across offices and campuses.

Users report widespread access issues

According to data from an outage-tracking platform, over 1,700 users reported issues by early afternoon. A majority complained that the website itself was unresponsive, while others flagged server-related problems. A small number reported poor video quality. Many attempting to log in were greeted with a “502, that’s an error” message.

Social media flooded with complaints

Soon after the outage began, social media platform X saw a surge of posts from users seeking clarity on whether the platform had gone down nationwide. People shared screenshots and asked if others were facing similar trouble. Some tagged Google’s India handle, urging a quick fix.

One user wrote humorously that their long- awaited interview had to be cancelled because the platform stopped working. Others noted that only certain members of their organisation were affected, adding to the confusion.

No official response from Google yet

As users debated possible reasons behind the failure, several pointed out recent disruptions across major digital services globally. Google has not yet issued a statement regarding the cause of the outage.

The incident comes barely a week after parts of the internet experienced a massive breakdown linked to Cloudflare, raising concerns over repeated digital service disruptions this month.

A widespread disruption hit several major digital platforms on Tuesday evening after Cloudflare experienced a technical issue that resulted in global service failures. The outage restricted access to platforms such as X, ChatGPT, Spotify and gaming services, with many users encountering 500 errors and repeated “try again in a few minutes” prompts.

Users report widespread 500 errors as services struggle

According to the company, a surge in unusual traffic caused errors across Cloudflare’s network, affecting traffic routed through its systems. The Cloudflare Dashboard and API also malfunctioned, and several platforms dependent on Cloudflare struggled to load. Even outage-tracking website Downdetector was impacted.

The internet infrastructure firm had planned maintenance at data centres in Tahiti, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Santiago in Chile, though there is no clarity yet on whether the scheduled activities contributed to the disruption.

Services begin to recover as investigation continues

By late evening, access to multiple websites was gradually restored. Cloudflare confirmed that engineers were working to stabilise services while investigating the cause of the traffic spike.

Cloudflare said the unusual surge led to errors across its network. “We do not yet know the cause of the spike in unusual traffic… We are all hands on deck to make sure all traffic is served without errors,” the company noted in a status message.

Past outages bring attention to web infrastructure dependency

This is not the first time the company’s systems have faced problems. In previous years, outages in 2019 and 2022 had disrupted thousands of websites globally.

The latest incident comes just weeks after cloud service disruptions at other major providers, underlining the growing impact of internet infrastructure failures on global businesses and public services.

Organisations such as New Jersey Transit and credit rating platform Moody’s also reported interruptions due to the Cloudflare issue. Shares of the company were down in pre-market trading following the outage.