Mahindra Thar electric to make debut in South Africa. What to expect

Mahindra and Mahindra will unveil Thar.e, the electric version of the flagship Thar SUV, for the first time at an event in Cape Town, South Africa. The carmaker had earlier teased the electric SUV, which will make its debut in concept form. The Thar EV is likely to retain its robust drive trait but with the added advantage of a zero-emission highlight. When launched, Thar.e will become the first Made-in-India electric off-road SUV.

Thar.e, or Thar Electric SUV, is part of Mahindra's electric vehicle offensive that started last year during Independence Day. The carmaker had unveiled several electric vehicle concepts as well as new EV platforms to announce its big plans ahead. In August of last year, the company unveiled its 'INGLO EV platform' which would serve as the base for as many as five all-electric models by 2026. And the showcase of a Thar EV Concept could further its all-electric ambitions.

Not much is known about the Thar.e as of now. However, it can be expected that Mahindra will either re-purpose the existing platform of the Thar so that it can be used to fit batteries and electric motors or they will base the Thar.e on an all-new dedicated electric skateboard platform.

Earlier, Mahindra had shared a teaser video of the Thar electric SUV. The teaser shows a glimpse of the rear tail lamp design which is in line with the current Thar. Considering this, it can be expected that the current design language of the Thar will mostly stay intact but will get a few changes to give some EV signature to the Thar.e.

Mahindra and Mahindra currently offers only the XUV400 as electric offering. It is essentially a rehashed version of the XUV300 sub-compact SUV. But while the XUV400 was positioned as a rival to the Tata Nexon EV and has not made much of an impression on buyers, the Thar EV - in its eventual production form - could well be a game-changer for Mahindra.