Mahindra has replaced Tata Motors and become the 3rd largest car maker in India. Thanks to launching new cars like the XUV300, Marazzo and the Alturas; overall sales of Mahindra have not registered that high a decline, as registered by some of their rivals.
With sales decline being temporary, Mahindra plans to launch multiple new cars in India over the coming months. Undisguised test mule of Mahindra Thar SUV with 4×4 badge has been spied on test in Chennai, where Mahindra has its R&D facility. This test mule is not to be mistaken with the new generation Thar, which is also on test in India.
New generation Mahindra Thar is in the works, and has been spied multiple times, all times wearing deceptive camouflage. But, the test mules of 2020 Thar did confirm that the new gen SUV is much wider than current Thar. It also has front facing 2nd row seats; instead of the side-facing, bench type rear seats seen in current Thar.
The spy images are credit to YouTube channel Tech Autogram. So why is the current Thar CRDe 4×4 on test with BS6 stickers? It is possible that Mahindra plans to launch the current Thar with safety updates as well as BS6 engine – as a more affordable offering in the coming months. If launched, it may sit below the new gen Mahindra Thar 2020, which will be much more costly than the current Thar on sale.
It is also possible that Mahindra is only using the body if current Thar, to test the BS6 engine and probably has no plans to launch the current Thar with BS6 engine. The test mule in the spy shots is finished in all black, wearing the codename B242 as well as P73. There is also a BS6 testing sticker on the SUV. There are dummy weights placed inside the car, on all passenger seats.
Speaking about the 2020 Mahindra Thar, it will be offered in soft top as well as hard top – both in two door body styles. Exteriors carry on a similar Jeep-styled design while interiors get a though update. Everything on the inside is new, more spacious and premium. From new seats to new dashboard, steering, instrument console, touchscreen, etc – New Thar will be a completely new car.
Current Thar is offered with a 2.5 liter diesel BS4 engine which delivers 105 hp and 247 Nm. It is mated to a 5 speed gearbox. Price ranges from Rs 9.64 lakhs to Rs 10.1 lakhs, ex-sh. New Thar is expected to get a more powerful 120 hp 2.0 liter diesel BS6 engine. Thanks to new features, bigger body, more powerful BS6 diesel engine, expect prices of new Thar to be considerably higher than current Thar.
