Mahindra confirms automatic transmission for Thar

Mahindra & Mahindra has been working on the second generation Thar SUV for a while now and now the company has finally confirmed the development about automatic transmission.

Mahindra has revealed that the Thar will be employing Mahindra’s 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine, which will produce 140 PS of power. There is a petrol version this time with Mahindra’s new 2-litre turbo-petrol mStallion motor.

In terms of the transmission, just like the old version, the Thar will feature a 6-speed manual gearbox with four-wheel-drive. But the automatic option will be a first for the Mahindra Thar with an Aisin torque convertor unit doing transmission duty.

While the original Thar was an award-winning offroader, Mahindra is taking the rugged personality of the Thar and making it more accessible to a wider audience. The top-spec trims, this time around, is likely to feature things like touchscreen infotainment system, usb-chargers, power operated OVRMs, and multi-info displays in the instrument cluster.

"This is a flagship initiative. It brings in the core product of Mahindra and comes in a wide variety, aggregates, automatic…the works. It will create a new segment," Rajesh Jejurika, executive director, Auto & Farm Sectors at Mahindra Group, said at an earnings call.

The new Mahindra Thar is expected to make its bow in September or October this year and while there is no price range announcement just yet, expect a more luxurious Thar than the ones you are used to.