Prior to the mid-nineties, Mahindra & Mahindra was an automobile assembly company. The company manufactured Willys Jeeps and its minor modified versions (modifications carried out in India). In 1996, the company planned to enter the SUV segment with a new product which could compete globally. Since M & M didn't have the technical know-how to make a new age product, they devised a whole new concept among Indian auto companies. Roping in new executives such as Dr. Pawan Goenka and Alan Durante who had worked in the auto industry in western countries, the company broke the rule that says automakers must design, engineer and test their own vehicles (spending millions of dollars in the process). The new Mahindra Scorpio SUV had all of its major systems designed directly by suppliers with the only input from Mahindra being design, performance specifications and program cost. Design and engineering of systems was done by suppliers, as was testing, validation and materials selection. Sourcing and engineering locations were also chosen by suppliers. The parts were later assembled in a Mahindra plant under the Mahindra Badge (as Mahindra is a well known brand in India in the MUV segment). Using this method the company was able to build a from scratch a new vehicle with virtually 100 percent supplier involvement from concept to reality for Rs 600 crore ($120 million)[5], including improvements to the plant. The project took 5 years to move from concept to final product.

In April 2006, the company launched an upgraded Scorpio – dubbing it the 'All-New' Scorpio. In June 2007, Mahindra launched a pick-up version in India known as the Scorpio Getaway. Recently, M & M has launched a face lifted version of the model.