Mumbai, Aug 14 (IANS): Automobile manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra on Saturday launched its new SUV XUV700 with a starting price of Rs 11.99 lakh.

The company also announced prices for its four variants in the five-seater manual transmission category.

Besides, the company said that bookings for the new SUV will begin before the festive season. The XUV700 will come in variants that include diesel and gasoline, manual and automatic options with 5 and 7-seater capacity.

It will also be available in an optional All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) model.

"We are ready to lead the core SUV segment with nine new exciting SUVs planned for launch by 2026," said M&M MD & CEO Anish Shah.

"Our most ambitious addition, the XUV700, is throbbing and pulsating with technology, power and intelligence to let people explore the impossible," Shah added.

The company also said that the XUV700 model will be available in gasoline as well as all aluminium diesel engines with new generation six-speed manual and automatic transmission options.

Notably, the 2 litre Turbo GDi mStallion engine (gasoline) spools out 380 Nm of Torque between 1750 and 3000 rpm and develops 200 PS at 5000 rpm.

In addition, the company pointed out that the 2.2 litre Commonrail Turbo Diesel mHawk Engine is known for its torque and is available in two tunes -- a 185 PS version with 420 Nm (manual) or 450 Nm (Automatic) and a 155 PS variant with 360 Nm (Manual Transmission).