- Showcased in South Africa in 2023
- Expected to be launched by 2026
Foreign debut
Mahindra has been surfing the Thar Roxx wave for the last few days and it has been our highest-researched car (so far) with an interest built up for quite a while now. But, the journey of the five-door Thar began just over a year ago in a foreign land in the form of the Thar.e. It’s expected to arrive in 2026 and will be offered in both 4WD and RWD layouts. There are also expected to be multiple range options depending on the variant.
The Thar.e
Showcased in South Africa at Mahindra’s FutureScape event on 15 August 2023, the Thar.e is a five-door EV concept that aims to give us a first glimpse of what the Thar will look like in the electric age. However, its unveil took everyone by surprise as it had the Thar name but with five doors! Once the car was unveiled, we had a chance to take a closer look and here are five things that we found.
New EV platform
Unlike the Thar which has its own platform and the Thar Roxx which shares its deal with the Scorpio-N, this one is based on Mahindra’s INGLO electric skateboard platform which it’s expected to share with electric versions of the Bolero and Scorpio.
Thar stance, compact(ish) body
Mahindra certainly got the exterior design elements right. It has retained elements like the high stance and flared wheel arches and the boxy elements like the high bonnet, slatted grille and rectangular bumpers. But in keeping with the times Mahindra has also included interchangeable elements like the headlamps and tail lamps as well as the front and rear bumpers. The automaker also emphasised the use of recycled and sustainable materials in Thar's construction process.e
Familiar cabin, modern interpretation
One glance at the cabin and you know this a Thar. The elements are blocky, and square and sit in a stacked layout just like the three-door and five-door Thar. You can see dual digital screens, a rectangular Mahindra steering wheel and a massive centre console that’s finally possible due to the flat floor.
Washable interiors
If you have a Thar, you are going to take it on the path least taken right? Mahindra claims to have factored that in by making many elements removable but also directly washable. This is not something new and was first shown by Jeep in the last two generations of the Wrangler. Given the amount of electronics and an EV powertrain underneath, the interesting bit will be to see what technologies Mahindra has developed in terms of water protection and resistance.
RWD and AWD powertrain
Mahindra has tasted success by expanding the appeal of the Thar to RWD configuration. In fact, it only announced RWD prices for the Thar Roxx and has not included 4WD for the petrol versions at the time of launch indicating where its demand is coming from in terms of variants. We expect this model to be emulated for the Thar.e though it will be achieved via individual axle mounted motors with the primary focus being RWD.
