Mahindra Thar News

Mahindra has finally confirmed that the Jeep Wrangler-style body-on-frame Thar as we know it will not be imported to Australia.

Retro car design is having a moment. Again.Massive around the turn of the millennium, few endure today from back then (namely BMW’s Mini and the Fiat 500), as most (including the Volkswagen New Beetle, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Toyota FJ Cruiser) enjoyed only fleeting success at best, before fading away.Today, we’re lucky enough to experience the overtly nostalgic Nissan Z and Ineos Grenadier, but there are others that we may never see.Here, then, is a list of desirable retro vehicles available overseas that could make it big in Australia if given a chance.Blocked from sale in Australia by Jeep owner Stellantis, the Thar is a descendent of the original Willys Jeep, dating back to 1947 when Mahindra started manufacturing it under licence.While the styling leans heavily into that ancestry, the current iteration, launched as a two-door hardtop in India in 2020, is a stylish body-on-frame recreational vehicle, offering four-cylinder turbo petrol or turbodiesel choices, modern comfort/convenience features and serious 4x4 off-roader capabilities. Just like its American doppelganger.Based on the Scorpio 4WD’s underpinnings, the four-door Roxx wagon offshoot, meanwhile, only debuted in July last year, and is considerably more practical, as well as civilised.Both versions would undercut their Wrangler OG cousin by tens of thousands of dollars, underscoring Stellantis’ desire to keep Mahindra’s ‘jeep’ out of Australia.We understand that an evolved version of today’s U725-series Bronco that broke loose in North America in 2021 is set for an Australian debut sometime in the future. The question is when.Ford’s global CEO, Jim Farley, recently confirmed right-hand-drive production for the T6 Ranger/Everest-based off-roader, which is a handsome and well-proportioned reimagining of the crisp 1966 original.Fun fact: the nameplate managed to evade Australia until the F-150-based Bronco III was actually assembled here in the 1980s, using Falcon engines.With China a nearby sourcing opportunity thanks to partner Jiangling Ford Auto, Ford locally would have a serious weapon against the coming, formidable BYD Denza B5 and much-rumoured Toyota LandCruiser FJ-style 4WD wagon.Bring the Bronco on.You might be surprised to learn that, like the earlier Bronco, the world’s first mass-produced hatchback, the original Renault 4 (1961-1994), was also built in Australia for a brief period.It was ultimately too kooky and utilitarian for our tastes back in the 1960s, but the eight-million-selling French front-drive family car germinated the seed for what we know as the modern small SUV today.The reinvented R4 for 2025 retains its beloved namesake’s upright stance, friendly face, chunky detailing, slanting rear doors and interior versatility, but with modern SUV proportions clothing an advanced all-electric architecture shared with the closely-related (but more diminutive) R5 E-Tech expected in Australia at some point.That the latter nabbed the most recent European Car of the Year gong bodes well for the 21 Century R4.Despite a long production run that saw it topple the Ford Mustang in the US at one point, the 2008-2023 Dodge Challenger never made it to Australia due to being left-hand-drive only.A pity, but some consolation could come in the unlikely event of specialist Japanese manufacturer Mitsuoka breaking completely from tradition by exporting one of its magnificent creations, the M55.No, not a motorway, but a current-gen Honda Civic with a Challenger nose and a Datsun C110/240K-esque posterior. Preposterous… or the automotive lovechild you never knew you pined for?Unconvinced? Then keep in mind that today’s Civic remains one of our favourite small cars on the planet, period, so at least the M55 would drive brilliantly. Especially as it uses a turbo/manual powertrain combination.The strange and wonderful wizards at Mitsuoka strike again with the Buddy, a current RAV4 topped and tailed by a ‘70s Chevrolet Blazer-inspired bodywork.Available in hybrid powertrains, the modifications meld uncannily well with the venerable Toyota SUV’s mid-section, especially when the retro wheel covers and period-evoking colour palette options are selected.Narrowly missing out being our bestselling vehicle outright in 2024, today’s fifth-gen RAV4 is popular enough to justify Mitsuoka importing the Buddy to Australia.

There’s been a lot of noise recently about the influx of Chinese car brands coming to Australia.There’s been less of a focus on India, largely because, for now, there are far fewer Indian automotive manufacturers, particularly ones that operate internationally.One brand has been quietly toiling away for nearly 18 years now, and it could be about to step into the limelight.Indian giant Mahindra landed in Australia in 2007 through a private distributor before shifting to a factory-backed operation in 2011. In that time it has offered utilitarian models like the PikUp and Genio utes, and while you’d be hard pressed to find too many of them on city streets, there are plenty in rural and remote areas of Australia.Following the forgettable XUV500 family SUV that was discontinued in 2022, Mahindra shifted up a gear in 2023 with the arrival of the off-road focussed Scorpio SUV, followed by the more refined XUV700 medium SUV.The Scorpio was hampered by its shocking zero-star ANCAP crash safety rating, but has remained popular with off-roading enthusiasts.The XUV700 on the other hand has helped boost the profile of Mahindra in Australia. It is a genuinely solid budget-focussed offering in the competitive medium-SUV segment.Unfortunately Mahindra does not report its sales data through the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the company was not forthcoming with its latest sales figures.However, anecdotally, there are a lot of XUV700s on the roads, and you'll spot a few Scorpios and PikUps as well.It’s unlikely that Mahindra’s Australian sales would be anywhere near Chinese rivals like Chery or GWM, or even Korean rival SsangYong, but you can expect to see a lot more Mahindra badges in the supermarket carpark in the coming year.Mahindra is keeping mum on its plans for 2025, but there are two models that should hit Australian shores by the year’s end.The first new arrival is expected to be the smallest model in its line-up - the 3XO SUV. This model is a small crossover that will give Mahindra a competitor in the fiercely competitive compact SUV segment for the first time.Powered in India by either a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, or a 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine, the 3XO is likely to face competition from light SUVs including the Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Venue and Kia Stonic.Once again, Mahindra is yet to officially confirm this model, but it is almost a certainty for Australia.The other possibility for 2025 (although it could push into 2026) is the replacement for the ageing PikUp ute. Previewed by the Global PikUp concept from 2023, the new ute will be underpinned by the same platform as the Scorpio and will be a much more modern workhorse than the old model.It is likely to be offered in single-cab and dual-cab bodystyles, and should come with a version of the 2.2-litre 129kW/400Nm turbocharged mHawk diesel unit used in the Scorpio. More engines are expected to be added down the track.This will give Mahindra a genuine alternative to the leaders in the pick-up segment, including the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max/Mazda BT-50, as well as Chinese rivals such as the GWM Cannon, JAC T9 and LDV T60.Mahindra could also be on the cusp of entering EV territory, with its recently revealed BE 6e and XEV 9e models in line for an Australian debut. The company’s local arm told CarsGuide in November: "Mahindra plans a phased, calibrated international rollout of the Electric Origin series, starting with right-hand drive (RHD) markets. We will make announcements of launch at the appropriate time."The other model that could finally make it Down Under is the Thar. The Jeep Wrangler lookalike has been blocked from sale in Australia by Jeep’s owner Stellantis given its similar design to the American off-roader.A five-door version of the Thar - dubbed the Thar Roxx - debuted in August last year riding on a new platform, but it’s unclear if it will ever make it to Australia.

Mahindra's move to make it's Thar off-roader safer could see it come to Australia

Mahindra is expected to reveal a five-door version of its Wrangler-style in the coming weeks, with test cars having recently been spied, but Australia shouldn’t get its hopes up until the model’s design is confirmed.

Mahindra to stick with larger models like the XUV700 and Scorpio until its electric cars arrive later in the decade.

Mahindra’s upcoming new dual-cab ute which will share its platform and tech with the Scorpio off-road SUV won’t necessarily kill off the fan-favourite Pik Up.

Mahindra is preparing a wagon version of its traditional Jeep-style Thar, with a stretched body, extra doors and lengthened wheelbase. But the big news is the sheer extent that the retro-styled SUV is stepping up to take on established 4WD wagons like the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol.