Mahindra working on 180 Bhp turbo petrol Thar

Mahindra launched the all-new second-generation Thar in the Indian market on 2nd October 2020. The demand and popularity of the all-new Thar have shot through the roof and there is a waiting period of extending to several months in many cities across the country. Mahindra continues to test the all-new Thar but no one knows exactly what they are testing. A new report suggests that Mahindra is currently working on a more powerful version of the Thar, which will be launched later this year.

According to Spy Autonews, Mahindra is currently testing more powerful turbo-petrol engine with the Thar. It is the mStallion 180 unit that will churn out more power. It is likely to be launched by the middle of this year, if at all. The finer details and the technical specification about the new engine are not known yet. However, Mahindra is likely to use the same 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that powers the new Thar. The more powerful engine will be tuned to produce a maximum power of 180 PS, up from the current output of 150 PS. The torque figure will also get a bump with the new engine.

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With the more powerful engine, Mahindra Thar will be able to go to nearly 180 km/h on the highways. Also, the more powerful engine will make it a better performer when it comes to off-road tracks. The Thar is currently powered by a 2.0-litre mStallion turbocharged petrol engine that generates a maximum power of 150 PS and peak torque of 320 Nm. The diesel 2.2-litre mHawk engine produces a maximum power 130 PS and peak torque of 320 Nm. Both the engine options offer a 6-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Mahindra is yet to release any data on the demand for the all-new Thar based on the fuel type. However, there is a great demand for the petrol engine variant of the Thar, that is likely to remain the same in the future.

Mahindra continues testing

Mahindra is currently testing the Thar in various terrains even after four months of its launch. It is possible that Mahindra is testing a new component or a new feature in the vehicle. But is also highly likely that they are currently testing the all-new Thar’s more powerful petrol engine. The same 180 PS engine will also power the upcoming Mahindra Scorpio in the Indian market.

With the rising popularity of the Thar, Mahindra announced a price hike across the variants. The all-new Thar is now expensive by Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 depending on the variant of the vehicle. The manufacturer also discontinued the 6-seater AX variant after scoring a four-star crash rating from Global NCAP. It is the first off-road-spec vehicle to get such a high score when it comes to crash test ratings.

To target a greater number of audience, Mahindra is also working on a five-seater version of the Thar. However, the long-wheelbase, four-door Thar will take some time before it is launched in the market. Mahindra is also working on the all-new XUV500 and the all-new Scorpio and both these vehicles will be launched later this year in India. Mahindra also plans to export the Thar and the upcoming Scorpio and XUV500 to various countries around the world.

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