Mumbai, Oct 2 (IANS): Home grown automobile major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) on Friday reported that its' popular cheetah inspired sports utility vehicle (SUV) XUV500 has crossed the 150,000 units sales mark, including exports.

The leading SUV manufacturer had launched the cheetah inspired XUV500 in September 2011.

"This is a proud moment for us as the XUV500 reaches this milestone. This achievement reaffirms the XUV500's immense popularity as it continues to set new standards in its category," Pravin Shah, president and chief executive (automotive), M&M was quoted as saying in a statement.

According to Shah, various consumer insights and feedback have been incorporated in the "New Age XUV500" launched in May 2015.

"With the launch of the New Age XUV500, we have further pushed the boundaries on the fronts of technology, capability and brand which has resonated well with our customers,” Shah said.

Furthermore, the company said that the XUV500 reached another significant milestone of completing four successful years on global roads.

The vehicle has been designed entirely in-house at Mahindra’s research and development (R&D) facility -- Mahindra Research Valley (MRV) in Chennai.