It was just last month when we told you about Mahindra unveiling the petrol version of its popular SUV - the Mahindra XUV500, in Dubai. The company introduced The XUV petrol in UAE priced at 74,900 Dirhams (around ₹ 13.24 lakh) and is offering only the automatic transmission version. Now, just a few weeks later, reports of the carmaker introducing the Mahindra XUV500 petrol in the neighbouring country Qatar have surfaced, along with the first image of the new 2.2-litre mHawk G140 petrol engine. In Qatar the Mahindra XUV500 petrol has been launched at AED 56,487 to AED 78,169 (approximately ₹ 9.9 lakh to ₹ 13.7 lakh).

Under the hood, the petrol-powered Mahindra XUV500 comes with a 2,179 cc, four-cylinder, turbocharged gasoline motor that makes about 138 bhp and develops 320 Nm of peak torque. Similar to the diesel model, the XUV500 petrol comes with the choice of a manual or an automatic gearbox, both 6-speed units. Unlike the UAE version of the XUV500 petrol, the Qatar-spec model comes in three variants - W8 FWD, W8 AWD and W10 AWD AT. While it's the former two - W8 FWD and W8 AWD get the manual gearbox, the latter W10 AWD AT comes with a 6-speed automatic gearbox with a tiptronic mode.

Visually, the Mahindra XUV500 petrol looks identical to the diesel model that is sold in India, except for the G140 badging on its fender. Although, on the features front, the XUV500 petrol comes with static bending headlamps with projector units with a light guide and the SUV is also equipped with disc brakes on all four wheels. The cabin, on the other hand, comes with features like a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with iPod, Aux-in and Bluetooth connectivity, voice commands, video playback, picture viewer, navigation, and 6 speakers. The SUV also gets features like tyre pressure monitoring system, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlamps and a glass-embedded antenna.

Now, considering the Mahindra XUV500 petrol in manufactured in India and is being exported to these aforementioned countries, the possibility of the model being launched in India is there. However, the company previously said that it would introduce petrol versions of its existing models if there's sufficient demand for the same. So, details on the Indian launch are still sketchy. Having said that, that the company is working on a new 1.5-litre petrol engine as well, which is rumoured to be the one that will power the India-spec XUV500 petrol. In any case, we expect Mahindra to showcase the petrol-powered XUV500 at the upcoming 2018 Auto Expo, and reveal more details about its launch in India.