[MAS]

Originally Posted by vikramvicky1984

This is great news. A simple, good looking, economic, safe & fuel efficient vehicle for people who drive around regularly in on rough roads. I guess the 16 inch wheels would be normal steel and not alloys. I hope Mahindra doesn’t compromise on safety in this variant too- Jimny is expected to be bad there.

I am one potential customer for sure if it’s priced well with all safety ratings intact

M&M has given the 2WD Thar, almost everything that the 4WD Thar had, including the Alloys.

[Cresterk]

Ah yes, the thar 2wd. For the people who want a hardcore offroading machine that compromises on comfort and practicality to be better offroad but without 4x4

Jokes aside, Mahindra is smart to release this. Most people who buy Thars do so for the image and lifestyle associated with it and will never take it offroad. I was talking to a mahindra sales manager and he was talking about how they organise offroad events because most of their customers have never actually taken the car out of 2wd high.

[Sherlocked]

Mahindra is smart enough to understand that Maruti Jimny will be priced lower than the Thar and the only way they can reduce pricing is by removing the 4X4 hardware and take advantage of the excise benefits by plonking in a 1.5L engine.

Now even if Jimny comes with 4X4 hardware, then also Thar will be hard to ignore for folks who are buying these cars just for show-off, since Thar is clearly the "bigger" SUV.

Come to think of it, we are seeing Jimny because of grand success of the Thar, and now a reasonably priced Thar because of the launch of Jimny .
God Bless competition.

[beingsidd]

this car will make so much sense for city use also will attract a lot of college buyers and some women too.

now they should plan a ev version too.

[GB muthu]

Does make a lot of sense for those of us battling it out in the urban jungle. Tighter turning circle radius and higher overall gearing resulting from 2wd drivetrain is welcome.

I was expecting Mahindra to relauch the old Invader based on the Bolero Neo platform but nice of Mahindra to offer this combo.

Hope Mahindra doesn't get ambitious with the pricing though. Sub 10 lakhs onroad for an AX hardtop will be reasonable. This is afterall pure ICE or museum piece in few years.

[Bob Loblaw]

A very smart move undoubtedly from a sales cum marketing point of view and one which will definitely result in even more Thar's flying off shelves but my personal opinion is this cheapens the Thar brand. Ah well...

[Turbanator]

Will this be in Manual Transmission or in Auto too? Any breakup of their current mix? Though removing 4x4 mayn't pinch so-called urban customers, missing an Auto gearbox may be a deal breaker for many.

[ramv]

Can we also expect 4 x 2 with automatic gear in the upcoming 5 door version?

[sagsaw]

I dont think brand value of Thar is hurt by the 1.5 liter diesel introduction.

Infact, it will add more and more customers who want the Thar for the head turning road presence.

I would also want optional MTT technology borrowed from Bolero Neo.

Don't know though if MnM can price this version of Thar at sub 10 lakhs price especially in these times of Inflation.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by techfreak

By the way some people have also upgraded with aftermarket auto folding mirrors.

Im sure this will require opening the door panels and introducing a small motor and gear system and some splicing of wires and all.
I would not take the trouble to do this.
In a Jeepy thing I personally can live very peacefully with Manual folding mirrors.

[techfreak]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Im sure this will require opening the door panels and introducing a small motor and gear system and some splicing of wires and all.
I would not take the trouble to do this.
In a Jeepy thing I personally can live very peacefully with Manual folding mirrors.

No. As per the you tube video of these folding mirrors that I have seen, the folding mirrors are totally different and OEM ones are not modified to make them foldable.

[shankar.balan]

Ive mentioned this earlier and will do so again.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s and all when my Dad was in the Tea Plantations, the Company used to buy new proper 4WD Mahindra Jeeps CL550, MM540, MM550 etc every 3 years or so.
Even in those days the Mahindra Dealers used to take the booking along with advance payment and the wait was 1-2 months for the 4WD vehicle to reach us. We required it, not for leisure off road activity, but in the line of duty.
Basically it has always been a truism here in India that the vast majority of the Mahindra Jeeps sold, were in 2WD form. People preferred and wanted the 2WD. Because the primary usage of the Mahindra 2WD Jeepy vehicle was, as a people and goods mover across rural roads and rough terrain which, the vehicle could easily accomplish with its Diesel engine torque but with greater fuel efficiency.
It is also a truism that with the increased prosperity and greater awareness across India, especially in the Urban areas, the whole concept of leisure-lifestyle 4 Wheel Drive Off Road activity is becoming more and more democratised and mainstream. Hence this whole 4WD movement. And the new entrants into the 4WD world are mostly amateurs just dabbling in a new game.
However, Mahindra, with this new move of theirs in introducing a smaller 1.5 litre engine, 2WD variant of the new Thar which has more than proven itself as a massive hit, are simply extending a successful product to a much wider audience and at the same time, taking advantage of the new rules and tax benefits.
There will continue to be plenty of buyers. If anything the number of buyers will simply multiply. And frankly, one will consider all this as a ‘dilution’ only if one is a rigid purist. The ‘bean counters’ of Mahindra will be laughing all the way to the bank.
Rigid Purists are anyway clearly in the minority, anywhere in the world, so in all honesty, I am sorry, but their opinion simply counts for Nothing, Zilch, Nada in the larger brand and commercial scheme of things.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by techfreak

No. As per the you tube video of these folding mirrors that I have seen, the folding mirrors are totally different and OEM ones are not modified to make them foldable.

So the mirrors themselves along with the motor and gearing etc will be a new substitute unit.
I wonder about the wire splicing etc though.
Can you please post the youtube video link for this audience to view?
Thanks!

[techfreak]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

So the mirrors themselves along with the motor and gearing etc will be a new substitute unit.
I wonder about the wire splicing etc though.
Can you please post the Youtube video link for this audience to view?
Thanks!

Here is the link for the you tube shot

https://youtube.com/watch?v=4NWOs9FGc6M?feature=share

[GTO]

With the 1st-gen Thar, Mahindra had sufficiently differentiated the cheaper variant (DI) from the more expensive one (CRDe). But seeing this cheaper 2WD Thar makes me quite unhappy. On the one hand, the Mahindra guys have created an iconic brand & a great Jeep. On the other hand, the team is diluting the aura around the Thar brand via such cheap variants.

The Thar is a lifestyle vehicle; it's bought for fun, offroading, style or all 3 factors combined...by customers who aren't price sensitive. The fully-loaded Thar is expensive for what it offers at 18-lakhs OTR. Yet, it still sells between 3500 - 4000 units / month consistently .

This is really short-term thinking & will bring short-term gains at best. It's like Taj Hotels launching an el-cheapo lunch buffet. Might fill in some more chairs at the restaurant, but will dilute the brand & lessen the overall profitability.

Mahindra has been happily commanding a price premium on the Thar, XUV700 & Scorpio-N. They should not forget the value of the "brand" with such dilution exercises. If this is a reaction to the Jimny, all I can say is it's an "over-reaction" .