Its been about five months since the second-gen Mahindra Thar went on sale in India, and after two price hikes, discontinuation of base-spec AX variants and even a major manufacturing recall, waiting period for the SUV continues to remain at an all time high. As per our sister publication, IndianAuto, waiting period for the Thar is going up to a maximum of over 10 months. That means if you were to book your Thar today, you can only expect it to be delivered to you by early-2022.
It is the diesel-manual variant with the hardtop roof and in the Napoli Black paint scheme that is seeing the longest waiting period, extending up to 11-12 months. Mahindra had previously revealed that automatic variants of the Thar are much more popular than the manual ones, with some automatic variants also seeing a waiting period of up to 10 months. Meanwhile, the convertible soft-top variants and petrol-manual variants of the Thar have a comparatively shorter waiting period.
Also Read : Mahindra Thar Tastefully Modified For Wrangler-Like Look By Azad 4x4
Apart from being very much in demand, the global shortage of semiconductor chips is a major reason why the Thar is seeing such long waiting periods. As a result, fully-built Thars are sitting at dealerships without their 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system. This is leading to a stay on the deliveries till the displays arrive and are fitted at the dealerships.
The new-gen Thar is offered in a total of 6 colour options, 4 engine-gearbox configurations, and two variants. Engine options on the Thar include a 2.0-litre mStallion TGDI petrol engine that makes 150 bhp and 300Nm of torque (320Nm with the automatic gearbox) and a 2.2 litre mHawk diesel unit that makes 130 bhp and 300 Nm of peak torque. Transmission options include either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox for both the engines. Four-wheel drive along with a low-range transfer case is standard for all the variants.
The new Mahindra Thar is an extremely well-packaged vehicle with all amenities and features you'd expect from a modern day SUV. If you can live with two doors, the new Thar is also a great everyday car. Prices for the Thar currently range between INR 12.10 lakh to INR 14.15 lakh (ex-showroom). Although the Thar does not have a direct rival currently, it will soon see competition from the BS6 Force Gurkha and India-bound Maruti Suzuki Jimny.
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Mahindra updates and other four-wheeler news.
