New gen Mahindra Thar made its global debut last year in August – Official booking numbers have crossed the 75k mark
Launch of the new Mahindra Thar has been one of the most awaited in the recent history of Indian car industry. It has been more than a year since the SUV made its debut on 15th Aug 2020. Bookings officially opened from 2nd Oct, 2020. Today, Mahindra has announced that they are celebrating the first launch anniversary of Thar, which has now amassed 75,000 bookings.
That’s a huge number. More than 6,250 customers are booking new Thar on average every month. Mahindra says that 40% of their buyers are millennials. 50% of Thar buyers are for the automatic variant while 25% buyers have opted for petrol. It is the highest selling 4×4 in India. But due to supply issues, which has crippled the auto industry, supply is nowhere near the demand.
Customers Awaiting Delivery Of New Thar
Since launch, Mahindra has dispatched almost 26k units of the new gen Thar to their dealers across India till Aug 2021. This still leaves almost 50k customers who are awaiting delivery of Thar SUV. Recently, Thar got a new rival in the form of Force Gurkha new gen.
Huge number of bookings were made in the initial months of Oct, Nov and Dec last year. It is very likely that there are many customers who had booked Thar in 2020, and have not yet got delivery. They continue to wait their turn. Below is a look at Mahindra Thar sales per month since its launch till Aug 2021.
| Month | Thar Sales |
|---|---|
| Aug-21 | 3,493 |
| Jul-21 | 3,203 |
| Jun-21 | 1,065 |
| May-21 | 1,911 |
| Apr-21 | 3,406 |
| Mar-21 | 1,912 |
| Feb-21 | 2,842 |
| Jan-21 | 3,152 |
| Dec-20 | 2,269 |
| Nov-20 | 2,569 |
| Total | 25,822 |
Mahindra Thar 5-door
With the success of 3-door, Mahindra has confirmed plans to launch 5-door Thar SUV in India. It will be longer than the current Thar, offering more space to passengers on the inside, as well as more boot space. It will continue to sport the same design and features. It will be positioned on the same platform as the 3 door Thar. The 2 additional doors will mean a longer wheelbase while dimensions would increase as compared to the current Thar that measures 3,985mm in length with a 2,450mm long wheelbase.
Engine options on offer with the Mahindra Thar 5 door will be similar to that seen on its 3 door version, though power figures could be increased, similar to that seen on the new Scorpio that is planned for launch next year.
This will include a 2.0 liter T-GDi mStallion turbo petrol engine that makes 150 hp power and 320 Nm torque and a 2.2 liter mHawk diesel engine that offers 130 hp power and 300 Nm torque. The engines get mated to a 6 speed manual or 6 speed torque converter automatic transmission. As also seen on the 3 door Thar, the variants will come in equipped with Shift-On-Fly four-wheel-drive system with mechanical locking differentials as standard. Launch is expected in 2023.
Focus on True Blue SUVs and EVs
Mahindra’s area of focus would be “true blue larger SUVs” that are “core” to its heritage and legacy. The manufacturer’s product lineup would start from XUV300, Bolero, Thar, Scorpio and go upwards to XUV900.
Mahindra CEO Anish Shah has said that the company will also lay its focus on electric vehicles for the future market requirements. He further went on to reveal that the homegrown automaker would invest over Rs 3,000 crore in the short term in the development of battery-powered vehicles. This amount would be scaled up with expansion of the business.
