Mahindra had discontinued the Thar AX 6 seater variant last year, around the same time when Global NCAP revealed safety ratings of the SUV
Launched in October 2020, Mahindra Thar was off to a record start. The SUV generated interest from lakhs of buyers across India. Within a few weeks, bookings had crossed the 50k mark. With production limited, Mahindra decided to stop accepting bookings of the base AX 6 seater variant in first week of Nov 2020.
The same was also removed from official website. Base AX variant was on offer with petrol as well as diesel engine option and came with bench seats at the rear. These were the only variants which offered 6 seater option with new gen Thar. All other variants were 4 seaters.
In the last week of Nov 2020, Global NCAP revealed safety rating of new gen Mahindra Thar. Global NCAP usually tests the base variant of a vehicle. But in the case of Thar, as the AX was just removed few days ago, they tested the higher variant with hard top. Thar hard top scored a 4 star safety rating.
Price list shared by Mahindra authorized dealers from multiple cities across India, shows the presence of AX 6 seater variant. This has caused confusion among buyers; if the variant has been relaunched or not. But the company claims that this variant is discontinued and not on sale. Mahindra says, “This is to clarify that the bookings for AX 6-seater variants have been stopped since November 2020 and have not been reintroduced.”
Mahindra Thar Prices July 2021
In July 2021, Mahindra has increased prices of Thar SUV by up to Rs 93k. Compared to last price hike of Dec 2020, the increase in Thar prices is of about 6.7%. When compared to launch prices of Oct 2020, the latest price hike of Thar SUVs is up to 10%.
Thar NCAP safety rating
At the time Mahindra Thar safety ratings were released by Global NCAP, it was asked why the organization chose to test a higher variant of Thar and not the base variant. Global NCAP responded saying that Mahindra had stated that the 6 seater variant was discontinued. This is why Global NCAP chose to launch a higher LX trim.
Global NCAP rules state that Mahindra has the option of reintroducing the side-facing rear seats at a later stage but then it will nullify its 4-star safety rating. Mahindra would then not be allowed to use it in any form of communication as Global NCAP rules clearly state a star rating is applicable to the entire model’s lineup and not just a particular variant. If base variant is relaunched, Global NCAP might test the base-spec variant of Thar and allot a new safety rating.
Thar Engine Specs
Thar gets an all new 2.0 liter mStallion petrol engine that offers 150 hp power and 320 Nm torque and an mHawk diesel engine making 130 hp power and 320 Nm torque. The engines get mated to 6 speed manual and 6 speed torque converter automatic while a 4×4 transfer box is offered as standard.
The Thar enters a segment where it sees little competition with its competitors being the upcoming Gurkha from Force Motors and the Maruti Suzuki Jimny. Both rivals are currently under test. Mahindra is also working on a 5 door variant of Thar which is expected for launch 2023 or later.
