Formula E: Mahindra unveils Gen4 car - aiming to return to the top despite late development start

Mahindra Racing has unveiled its Formula E car for the Gen4 era. The new M13ELECTRO retains the team's red, black and white colour scheme, with white featuring much more prominently than on its predecessor. After finishing third in the teams' championship, the Indian manufacturer is aiming to remain among the frontrunners with Gen4. However, Mahindra has had considerably less time to develop its new car than many of its rivals.

One day before the start of Formula E's official pre-season testing in Madrid, Mahindra Racing unveiled the livery of its new Gen4 car on Sunday. The driver line-up remains unchanged: Edoardo Mortara and Nyck de Vries will continue to race for the Indian manufacturer in the 2026/27 season.

More white for the Gen4 era

Red, black and white continue to define the appearance of the two Mahindra cars. Compared to its predecessor, however, the most noticeable change is the increased use of white. While the front of the car is painted red, white dominates the central section of the bodywork before the livery transitions back to red towards the rear.

Black dominates the lower half of the bodywork and extends to the outer edges of the upper bodywork, giving the M13ELECTRO a visually slimmer appearance. Unlike many of its rivals, Mahindra has also opted for a black fin. Angular white lines below the fin break up the red surface at the rear.

Alongside the prominently positioned Mahindra logo, the new Formula E car also features the branding of lubricant manufacturer Valvoline.

After finishing third in the championship: Mahindra aims to remain among the Gen4 frontrunners

On the sporting side, Mahindra heads into the new generation with ambitious goals. The Indian team finished third in the teams' championship in the 2025/26 season, completing its most successful Formula E campaign to date. However, the transition to Gen4 presents Mahindra with a particular challenge.

The company's management only gave the green light to the Gen4 project in November 2025, by which time other manufacturers were already testing prototypes. The start of on-track testing, originally scheduled for May 2026, was also delayed. It was not until mid-July that Mahindra finally ran its new car for the first time.

Despite the late start to development, team principal Frederic Bertrand has set ambitious targets: "We want to be competitive and among the leading teams on the grid, and we are fully committed to doing everything in our power to make this project a success."

Mahindra already knows how difficult a generational change can be, having endured a particularly challenging transition from Gen2 to Gen3. In the 2022/23 season, the team finished second to last in the teams' championship. In the years that followed, however, Mahindra worked its way back to the front of the field.

Bertrand is under no illusions about the challenges that lie ahead with Gen4: "We are under no illusions about what lies ahead, though. We are effectively starting from scratch - with an entirely new and highly complex car - and it will take time, hard work and continuous development to unlock its full potential."

The official pre-season tests should provide the first indications of how well Mahindra has managed the transition to Gen4. Testing begins on Monday, November 16, at the Circuito del Jarama just outside Madrid.