Indian auto giant Mahindra revealed its futuristic Vision Thar.e concept at an event in Cape Town, South Africa, yesterday. The unwrapping was part of its broad electrification roadmap and expansion into overseas markets like mainland Europe and the UK.
The automaker already sells the gas-powered Mahindra Thar in the Indian market, and the new concept envisages the future of its off-road electric SUV. The Thar.e concept is built on the Inglo platform, which combines the words India and global.
The platform is the result of a collaboration between the Volkswagen Group and Mahindra and uses several components from the German automaker’s MEB architecture. It will underpin its upcoming “Born Electric” cars.
The EV departs from the Jeep Wrangler-like looks of its gas-powered counterpart, and its design evokes several styling cues from the new Land Cruiser and the Land Rover Defender. Although it manages to carve out its own personality.
It looks like a boxy off-roader, although the futuristic bits are embedded into the details. It’s running on chunky off-road tires, and there are several cube-shaped elements – the LED headlamp design, front and rear door hinges, wheel alloy cutouts, and the taillamp. The rear quarter glass and windshield design is reminiscent of the Land Rover Defender.
The interior, Mahindra claims, “blends minimalism with functionality.” The concept features a central pivoting screen, grab handles, and a layout that the brand claims would emphasize the Thar.e's practicality for both urban and off-road use cases.
The Indian brand terms its future powertrains as “high-performance electric engines.” The Volkswagen-supplied rear electric motor will deliver up to 210 kilowatts of peak power and 413 pound-feet of peak torque. The front motor would deliver 80 kilowatts and 100 pound-feet.
The platform also supports battery capacities between 60-80 kilowatt hours. The 60 kWh battery will have prismatic cells, while the larger unit will use BYD’s Blade technology. The peak charge rate is 175 kW, and the brand claims a maximum range of up to 450 kilometers (280 miles) on the WLTP cycle.
Mahindra is considering entering the UK by the end of the decade, as per an Autocar report. The brand already has a UK design center and Formula E team, and it revealed five new UK-designed EV concepts in Banbury last year. The brand also has a US presence. It sells farming equipment stateside, including tractors, and a UTV named Roxor.
