I'm not exactly sure what I am missing here -- isn't this a small variation on the Oasis/Cabrio design?
It wouldn't surprise me if Whirlpool had this designed in Brazil (by their subsidiary, Brastemp) to appeal to the Indian tastes better, given that both countries tend to have similar philosophies towards doing laundry, as far as I can tell.
Also, both Indian and Brazilian women tend to have a bit more pride in how things look, even in the laundry room, which is typically only seen by the servants and the home occupants, visitors only see the laundry room when getting a tour of the home or if you are having a barbecue and you have to pass by the laundry room going from the kitchen to the backyard, as it's often the case there.
Cheers,
-- Paulo.