The new Thar Roxx is the second model in the Thar line-up with which Mahindra hopes to make the niche off-roader a mainstream brand. Apart from the additional doors, more features and added practicality, a few key differences on the powertrain front also set it apart from the regular Thar. While Mahindra expects some cannibalisation with the 3-door Thar, the Roxx will be crucial in bringing incremental volumes for the brand.
- Thar Roxx 1.5 diesel, petrol 4x4 to be introduced later
- Mahindra plans to add more models to the Thar portfolio
Some powertrains left out to differentiate from 3-door Thar
“We are prepared for some cannibalisation, which is one reason why we have not introduced the 1.5-litre diesel on the Thar Roxx. It leaves a space for a 3-door Thar. We have designed our capacity with some fungibility between the two products,” said Rajesh Jejurikar, ED of the Auto and Farm Sector at Mahindra & Mahindra.
Jejurikar told the media that building scale through volume is essential to creating a moat. The 3-door Thar currently sells about 4,000 to 4,500 units a month. Mahindra has already reduced the future production plan to 3,000 units per month, factoring in some form of cannibalisation. For the new 5-door Thar Roxx, the scheduled monthly production is 6,500 units.
Mahindra is, therefore, looking at a monthly production volume of 9,500 units across both models. However, the company believes the Thar Roxx’s buyers will be very distinct from the Scorpio N’s.
Interestingly, Mahindra is also not offering a 4x4 variant with the Thar Roxx’s petrol version. About 50 percent of the 3-door Thar sales come from the 4X4 variants. However, the company expects the share to be much lower with the Thar Roxx, although eventually, it may consider a petrol 4X4 to expand the range.
“Everything we do focuses on ensuring that we have volume momentum. With that comes a better cost, supplier involvement, and motivated dealers and teams. So, the overall ecosystem gets charged up when you get volume momentum,” explained Jejurikar.
More products will expand the Thar portfolio
Mahindra has invested about Rs 1,000 crore in the Thar Roxx, but the company does not intend to stop there. The Thar Roxx is based on a new Gylde platform, and Mahindra plans to build a portfolio of models on this architecture to appeal to a wider audience.
“You will see more products coming out of the Thar portfolio. When we talk about our ambition to be number 1 in the coming 3-5 years, you will see different versions coming out,” said Jejurikar.
So far, Mahindra has only announced prices for all petrol and diesel RWD models. The top management said the prices for the 4x4 variants will be announced before the official bookings start on October 2.
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