5-Door Mahindra Thar will reportedly launch only in 2024 but its market debut could happen next year
As evident from the recent crop of spy images, Mahindra & Mahindra is working on the five-door version of the Thar but its launch timeline has remained a mystery. It will compete directly against the upcoming five-door India-specific Maruti Suzuki Jimny, which will likely make its debut at the 2023 Auto Expo in January and the five-door Force Gurkha.
The longer Force Gurkha is also expected to go on sale in the coming months. Thus, the five-door Mahindra Thar is widely speculated to reach showrooms within the first half of 2023. However, it does not appear to be the case as recent reports indicate that the launch will happen only in 2024 following its domestic debut in 2023.
With Mahindra’s absence at the 2023 Auto Expo in Greater Noida, the chances of the five-door Thar making a debut has been long gone. Despite the regular spotting of test mules across the country, if the report turns out to be true, we can expect it to be unveiled in the second half of next year before reaching showrooms in early 2024.
The homegrown SUV manufacturer has been reaping the benefits of its latest launches such as the Scorpio N and Scorpio Classic and XUV700 which came out last year. The waiting period of select variants of the Scorpio N goes up to 24 months while the XUV700 commands a waiting period of up to 15 months in most parts of India.
The second generation Thar, introduced in 2020, has also been well received amongst customers and thus to meet the demand, the production will be ramped up to bring down the waiting period. While the extended wheelbase version of the Thar may not make it to dealerships next year, the existing three-door variant could gain new variants.
The five-door Mahindra Thar will sit on a ladder frame construction and will have a spacious cabin to accommodate more occupants. It could be offered in multiple seating configurations and roof options upon arrival. The 2.2-litre mHawk four-cylinder diesel and the 2.0-litre mStallion four-cylinder petrol engines could be retained with different power and torque outputs.