Refuting rumours about its plans to unveil the Thar 5-Door on August 15, 2023, Mahindra has reaffirmed that the SUV will not be introduced during this calendar year. The ongoing rumour was that the Mahindra Thar 5-Door will make its global debut, on August 15, at an event in South Africa. Now the company has released a statement confirming that the launch is not scheduled for the 2023 calendar year.
The Mahindra Thar 5-Door will be launched in 2024 as per the company's original plan.
In fact, sources in the know have told car&bike that the rumours are baseless, and the 5-Door Thar will neither be showcased nor will it be launched during this calendar year, and the company will stick to its original plan of introducing the SUV in 2024. In fact, there will be no new SUVs coming in from the brand this year, and the reason for that is because the company wants to focus on honouring the existing orders.
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The 5-door version of the Mahindra Thar has been in the works since for few years now.
Earlier in May 2023, at the announcement of its annual results, Mahindra said it currently has its hands full with a backlog of nearly 3 lakh SUVs that are yet to be delivered. Addressing the media back then, Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director & CEO (Auto and Farm Sector), M&M Ltd. said, “Our 5-door Thar is a highly anticipated product. It's not coming in this calendar year, much as many people are speculating it is. It's a 2024 launch.”
Also Read: 2023 Mahindra Thar RWD Review
One more reason for the delaying the launch is the increasing demand for the existing rear-wheel drive Thar. As of May 2023, the company had over 50,000 bookings for this more affordable rear-wheel drive model, which has led to long waiting periods. Mahindra wants to try and get this under control before bringing in the Thar 5-Door, which will most definitely be a more premium offering.
Also Read: Mahindra Thar Production Crosses 1 Lakh Unit Milestone
Currently, Mahindra has its hands full with a backlog of nearly 3 lakh SUVs that are yet to be delivered
We have already seen multiple spy photos of the upcoming Mahindra Thar 5-Door, and judging by the looks of it, although it will be longer and offer more cabin space, visually the SUV is likely to remain identical to the Thar 3-Door, especially in the styling department. However, we expect the 5-door version to come with a proper fixed hard-top roof, and judging by the leaked spy photos it might also miss out on the roll cage element seen on the three-door Thar.
Also Read: Five-Door Mahindra Thar Spied Again; Interior Details Revealed
The new Thar 5-Door will remain largely identical to the existing 3-door model, in terms of styling
Under that hood, the 5-door Mahindra Thar is likely to get the same engine options as the three-door model – a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol and a 2.2-litre diesel motor. Mahindra could however use the more powerful iteration of the engines. The transmission choices will include both the manual and automatic units, and we also expect a four-wheel drive system to be offered, at least as an option.
