Mahindra Thar gets 6,500 bookings in December, waiting period hits 10 months

Mahindra 2020 Thar continues to be a good performing product for the homegrown manufacturer. In fact, it exceeded Mahindra’s expectations due to which the SUV is facing some high waiting period issues. However, this did not stop people from buying the 2020 Thar. The SUV has received 6,500 bookings in the month of December alone. Due to this the waiting period for the 2020 Thar has hit 10 months. Over 50 percent bookings have been done for the automatic gearbox of the LX variant. The LX variant is aimed towards the people who will be using the SUV as a daily driver.

Mahindra has already discontinued the entry-level AX and AX Std variants. This was done because these variants were offered with side-facing seats. So, the vehicle could seat 6 people. However, the side facing seats are not safe and Thar had already scored 4-stars with front-facing seats. So, it makes sense for the manufacturer to discontinue the AX variant. Also, the AX variant was not really selling well and had poor demand.

The waiting period for the 2020 Thar is already very high. In fact, the SUV is sold out till May 2021. The bookings for the soft top model is already closed. The waiting period for convertible top is 22-24 weeks, the waiting period for hard-top diesel is stretching upto 39-40 weeks. Whereas if you opt for the hard-top petrol variant you would have to wait for 40-41 weeks. This is one of the few reasons why the Thar is so successful. People wanted a petrol engine in the Thar and now Mahindra finally launched it. The icing on the top is the automatic transmission that is offered with both the engines. So, now people are opting for the automatic gearbox because it provides a hassle-free experience while driving in bumper to bumper traffic. Mahindra has also worked extensively on making the Thar a better daily driver. They reworked the ladder-frame chassis, suspension, NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness) levels, insulation, engines, comfort and a lot more. All of this came together as a much-improved product that can be used on daily basis. Mahindra also offered front-facing seats for the rear occupants so that they can sit comfortably and can at least cover the decent distance without feeling any fatigue. The manufacturer also added a lot of comfort features such as automatic climate control, cruise control, steering mounted controls, multi-information display, LED Daytime Running Lamps, touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and much more. Thar also comes with a washable interior and removable roof panels.

Also read: Buying a pre-owned Mahindra Thar is better than buying a new one: 5 reasons

Powering the 2020 Thar is a new set of engines. There is a 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine and a 2.0-litre turbocharged, direct-injection petrol engine. The diesel engine produces 130 PS of max power and 300 Nm of peak torque. The petrol engine produces 150 PS of max power and a peak torque output of 300 Nm. Both engines are offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. Being an off-road-oriented vehicle Thar comes with 4×4 system as standard with low-range option. Mahindra is also testing some new colours for the Thar. There will be white colour and silver colour that might get launched in the future.

Also read: All-new 2021 Mahindra XUV500: What it”ll look like