The overwhelming response of the new Thar seems to have exceeded Mahindra’s expectation as well as production capacities
2020 Mahindra Thar has received a response which is nothing short of overwhelming. Second generation of the hardcore offroader was launched earlier last month and has received applause from all quarters. The SUV was under development for more than two years and we came across countless spy shots and design renders during this time.
Recently, Mahindra officially commenced with the deliveries of the new Thar from November 1. Just within four days of launch, Mahindra had received over 9000 bookings on its tough off-roader.
By the end of October, since our last update, that number went over 20,000. And all this is before a single unit of Thar was delivered to any customer.
Current Status of Thar bookings and Waiting Period
This gigantic number of bookings has led to an extended waiting period which has stretched to as many seven months. Some customers are very upset after their expected delivery dates got extended. Some of them are even contemplating on cancelling their bookings as they are unwilling to wait so long for their Thar.
Mahindra has promised to make sure that they keep waiting periods in check, and for the same reason, have announced to increase production of new Thar from Jan 2021. Current production capacity is set at 2,000 units per month. From Jan 2021, Mahindra will produce 3,000 units of new Thar at the plant.
In the mean time, the utility vehicle manufacturer has stopped accepting bookings for the soft-top variant of Thar. This is the most affordable variant of the Mahindra Thar on offer. It is the AX variant with 6 seater option. This is also the most affordable variant of Thar on offer. It is priced from Rs 9.8 lakhs for petrol and Rs 10.85 lakhs for diesel.
With the AX variant no longer available for bookings, the next most affordable Thar option available for booking is the AXO Petrol 4 Seater, which is priced from Rs 11.90 lakhs while Diesel AXO is priced from Rs 12.10 lakhs. Going by the recent trend of bookings, Mahindra might have to pull the plug on bookings of other derivatives as well in future.
Thar Powertrain, Transmission Details
New generation Mahindra Thar comes with two engine options- a 2.2-litre mHawk diesel and a 2.0-litre mStallion turbo petrol engine. The former churns out 130 bhp and 300 Nm of peak torque whereas the latter cranks out 150 bhp and 300 Nm (320 Nm in AT) of peak torque. Both units come with the option of being paired with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. 4WD with a low-range transfer case is offered as standard across the range. Mahindra offers the new Thar in three trim levels- AX, AX(O) and LX.
