The 001 badge number on the actress' Batman Edition BE6 means nothing - Customers can choose any badge number they want!
Krithika Annamalai, a South Indian actress who primarily works in Tamil TV serials, recently shared a video on her Instagram handle that shows her taking delivery of a BE6 Batman Edition with ‘001’ badge number. This made many wonder: did the actress buy the first unit in the Batman edition series? No. We’ll tell you why.
As the video opens, we see a Mahindra dealership. The BE6 Batman Edition is parked inside, ready for delivery. We can briefly see the ‘Bat’ motifs and the Batman insignia on it. Krithika then enters the showroom in full style, dressed in Black. She then completes the paperwork and ‘unveils’ the car. Later in the video, we see her receive the keys from the dealership staff and take the car out of the showroom. In one of the shots, we briefly see the metal plaque with the (production) serial number and ‘Batman Edition’ written on it. It has ‘001’ written on it.
Usually, in limited production cars, badge numbers are strong symbols of their exclusivity and often stand for the unit’s chornological position in the series. Mahindra BE6 Batman edition, however, chooses to differ. The badge numbers we see on this electric SUV are purely ornamental. Mahindra even let customers choose their preferred badge number from 001 to 999, at the time of booking. These numbers are non-exclusive, meaning duplicates can exist! Mahindra says that this approach is meant to celebrate individuality and connection.
Mahindra launched the BE6 Batman Edition in August this year. This limited-run series of the BE6 generated massive excitement among EV enthusiasts. In the past few months, we saw many taking deliveries of the Batman edition. Initially, the production of the BE6 Batman Edition was limited to just 300 units. The product, however, generated massive excitement among buyers, forcing Mahindra to revisit the decision and extend production to 999 units. Even then, all of these got sold out within 135 seconds (2.25 minutes) of the booking portal going live! Deliveries began on 20th September, the International Batman Day.
The Batman Edition was realised through a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products (WBDGCP) and Mahindra Automotive. WB-owned DC Comics, as you know, owns the primary film and general rights to ‘Batman’. The BE6 Batman edition is inspired by Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. The Batman silhouette that you see on the front door is very vocal about this.
The BE6 Batman edition comes finished in a menacing shade of Satin Black. Several components get touches of Alchemy Gold. Parts of the suspension setup, brake callipers are painted are in Alchemy Gold, striking contrast to the vehicle’s body colour. The 20-inch wheels get ‘Bat’ logos on their hub caps. These motifs can also be found in several other parts of this design.
The Black- Alchemy Gold colour scheme can also be found inside. The driver’s shroud now looks more premium. Several accents of Alchemy Gold can be seen on the dashboard, centre console, steering wheel, and even the key fob. Seats now come with Charcoal Black leatherette upholstery with Gold contrast stitching. Batman branding can be seen on the seats and Boost button. The metal plaque mentioned previously is positioned in the centre console and shows the series number of the respective unit.
In addition to these, the BE6 Batman edition also comes with a special Batman-inspired welcome animation on vehicle start-up and Batman-themed ambient lighting elements on its glass roof.
If you’re wondering about the powertrain, the BE6 Batman edition comes only with the 79kWh battery pack, and the rear-mounted electric motor. The setup generates 282bhp and 380Nm. The car has Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) and can do the 0-100 kph sprint in just 6.7 seconds. This battery pack claims a range of 683km per charge.