Mahindra Auto sells 32,915 SUVs with a 66% growth in January

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. has announced that their overall auto sales for the month of January 2023 stood at 64,335 units. In the Utility Vehicles segment, Mahindra sold 32,915 vehicles and 33,040 units in the Passenger Vehicles segment. These sales figures are despite disruptions in the supply chain of Crash Sensors and Air Bag ECUs due to the unavailability of semi-conductors.

Exports for the month were at 3,009 vehicles as compared to 2,865 units last year. In the Commercial Vehicles segment, Mahindra sold 21,724 vehicles in January 2023. The sales figures for utility vehicles have increased from 19,848 units to 32,915 units. That is an increase of 66 per cent.

According to Veejay Nakra, President, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd., “The successful launches of Thar RWD and our first all-electric SUV, XUV400, have received very encouraging response from our customers in the first month of 2023. Our Utility Vehicles saw a growth of 66% and we saw an overall growth of 37%. We continue to keep a close watch on the dynamic supply chain situation".

The latest launch from the manufacturer was the Thar RWD which is the most affordable version of the Thar. It now starts at ₹9.99 lakh (ex-showroom). The top-end version of the Thar costs ₹16.49 lakh (ex-showroom). The brand decided to launch the rear-wheel drive version to compete better in the Indian market as the Maruti Suzuki Jimny will be launching soon. Moreover, the Thar RWD is for people who want the road presence of the Thar but they won't be using the SUV for off-roading. Instead, it would be used mostly for city commutes and duties.

The brand is also working on the 5-door version of the Thar which is expected to launch in India sometime this year. Recently, the test mule was spotted with an automatic transmission but no 4x4 lever. This means that the Thar 5-door could also launch with a more affordable rear-wheel drive setup.