The Thar.e concept imagines a spiritual successor to Mahindra’s big-selling Thar, an affordable, rugged SUV with a similar ethos and design to the Jeep Wrangler.
Conceived as an electric off-roader, it adopts a rugged, severe silhouette, sits high from the ground on Dakar-style suspension and rides on beefy all-terrain tyres. No doubt a production-specification evolution of this design would be more overtly road-focused.
The cabin, meanwhile, “blends minimalism with functionality, focusing on the essentials of off-road driving”, according to Mahindra. It has a pivoting central screen, an array of grab handles and a minimalist dashboard arrangement in a bid to cater to “urban and off-road adventures”.
Mahindra’s automotive boss, Veejay Nakra, called it “a testament to innovation and a pioneering design philosophy that is uniquely Mahindra and distinctively global”, hinting at the potential for a production version to be sold outside India.
But before launching any electric SUVs in Europe, Mahindra will first launch an assault on the global pick-up market with the production version of its Scorpio N concept – a ladder-framed Toyota Hilux rival that will offer competitive levels of technology and equipment, as well as the choice of petrol or diesel power.
Mahindra is India’s biggest pick-up manufacturer and the reveal of the Scorpio N in Cape Town is significant, given the strength of the light truck, or ‘bakkie’, market in South Africa.
