The Mahindra Thar is seeing huge greater for its top-spec LX and automatic variants and in an attempt to reduce rising waiting periods for top-spec trims, Mahindra has temporarily delisted the entry-level AX variants from their website to make way for the production of higher-spec variants.
Its been about a month since Mahindra launched the second-gen Thar in India and the SUV is already off with a flying start. Once only an utilitarian SUV, the new Thar has already bagged over 25,000 orders and the waiting periods have naturally gone up immensely. Select top-spec variants of the Mahindra Thar are seeing waiting periods of up to six-seven months while the lower variants are not so much in demand. Responding to the situation, Mahindra has now delisted the entry-level AX variants of the Thar from their official website.
Why has Mahindra delisted the entry-level Thar AX varaints?
The delisted AX variants include the AX Standard petrol (Rs 9.80 lakh), the AX petrol (Rs 10.65 lakh) and the AX diesel (Rs 10.85 lakh). Bookings for these variants have also been halted temporarily. Naturally, the base price of the Thar has now gone up from Rs 9.80 lakh to Rs 11.90 lakh, the AX optional petrol-manual variant being the most affordable variant of the Thar you can buy currently.
Mahindra has revealed that the demand for the entry-level AX variants have been comparatively low and that is why they have even temporarily paused the production of these entry-level variants. This has been done to clear up production slots for the higher variants of the Thar that are seeing huge demand. This will help Mahindra clear up the backlog of order and reduce the waiting periods for the higher variants. Mahindra says the hardtop and automatic variants of both petrol and diesel versions are seeing the highest demand.
But that’s not all. Mahindra has even announced that they will be ramping up production of the new Thar from 2,000 units per month to 3,000 units per month at their production facility in Nashik, Maharashtra. There is however no word yet about when exactly will Mahindra re-introduce the entry-level AX variants or when will they enter into production again.
Which variants of the Thar are currently on sale?
Currently, it is only the AX Optional and LX variants of the new Thar that are on sale in India. Prices for the Thar now range from Rs 11.90 lakh and go up Rs 13.75 lakh. There are still 12 different trims of the Thar that are currently on offer based on the different engine, gearbox and body-style options. With the discontinuation of the AX variants, the Thar is thus currently only a 4-seater SUV with forward facing seats as the side facing jump seats have also been omitted with the entry-level variants. As for roof option, customers still have the option to choose between a convertible soft-top roof or a fixed hard-top roof.
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Mahindra Thar Powertrain Options Recap
The new Thar debuts two new engines from Mahindra’s stable. Featuring a petrol engine for the first time, its a new 2.0-litre mStallion TGDI petrol engine that makes 150 bhp and 300Nm of torque (320Nm with the automatic gearbox). Meanwhile, the diesel engine is a 2.2 litre mHawk unit that makes 130 bhp and 300 Nm of peak torque. Transmission choices include either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed automatic gearbox for both the engines. Four-wheel-drive and a manual-shift transfer case are standard on all versions. Here’s a quick look at the prices as well.
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Mahindra has also revealed that about 55% of the new Thar buyers and first time Mahindra customers and that greatly speaks about the popularity of the new Thar. Also, about 44% of buyers are opting for the automatic variants, which proves that Mahindra’s strategy with the new Thar was just about right.
