After Reaching the Moon, India Shows Off Rugged Mahindra Thar.e Concept

The Chandrayaan-3 mission really is a big deal because Indians will be the first to search for iced water near the Moon's south pole. Scientists believe that craters in that area could host large quantities of water, which could be the basis for human colonization of the Moon. For instance, Toyota hopes to use that water for its Lunar Cruiser, featuring the novel Regenerative Fuel Cell Technology.

Indians are proud of Chandrayaan but also Thar

Back on Earth, SUV mania is on the rise, while iconic offroad nameplates join the EV party like crazy. It's like everybody wants to taste the freedom promised by rugged 4x4s. To go anywhere, anytime, not worried about any boundaries. Here on Earth, or up there on the Moon, why not?

The "Thar" name is far from being iconic for the Westerns, but make no mistake: it designates an Indian Jeep. And I don't mean a Chinese-style copycat. Back in the '40s, Mahindra acquired the Jeep Willys manufacturing license and then the Jeep CJ's. No wonder that starting from 1975, the Indian models were named CJ. The funny thing is that the same year, the Indian Space Research Organisation launched India's first satellite, Aryabhata.

In 2008, it launched the Chandrayaan-1 mission and was the first to discover water molecules on the Moon's arid surface. It was one of the main reasons for the most powerful nations on Earth to spark a new race for the Moon. Two years later, in 2010, Thar emerged as an uglier Wrangler TJ based on CJ's chassis, but it soon became one of the most appreciated SUVs in the Indian market. Surprisingly, it also had a brief history in the US, where it was sold as the Roxor.

In 2019, India became one of the five nations to crash a spacecraft on the Moon… because of the 2019 Chandrayaan-2 mission failure. It was a harsh lesson to be learned for Indian space enthusiasts. Still, at least Indian offroad enthusiasts were thrilled to see the second generation of Mahindra Thar a year later. The 2020 Thar was more prominent, expensive, and angular, similar to the American Wrangler JK.

Best people-mover for the Moon? A rugged 4x4 EV, of course

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14, 2023, from the Sriharikota space center, south of India. Two days later, 8,000 km / 5,000 miles away, in Cape Town, South Africa, Mahindra Electric Automobiles unveiled the Thar.e concept, supposedly an "electric evolution of the legendary off-roader." To my surprise, the CGI animation places this concept on Mars, not the Moon! Maybe Mahindra didn't expect the Vikram probe to work flawlessly and India to become the fourth country to land on the Moon successfully?!

The Thar.e concept looks very different from the current production Thar. It also looks very different from any other Jeep concepts I've seen so far. In my opinion, this Indian concept is not sexy at all compared to the American brand's concept cars. Nevertheless, Thar.e's style is original and has a clear message: rough, rugged, harsh, just like Mars or Moon's environment.

The wheel arches are probably this offroad electric concept's most striking visual element. They best emphasize the designers' "explore the impossible" philosophy, while the eye is fooled into believing that the second pair of doors is missing. And another thing: is it only me, or does the Thar.e have a Land Rover-ish stance? After all, the British offroad brand is owned by Indian Tata Motors.

As expected, the interior has a "digital spartan" style, but the pair of roof glasses above the back doors is a pleasant surprise. And get this – the cabin incorporates "50% recycled PET and recyclable uncoated plastics." I hope they're better suited for Mars or Moon's low temperatures.

While no technical spec was unveiled, it looks like Thar.e is a very compact offroader. Due in 2026, the production model will get a wheelbase between 2,77 and 2,97 meters / 109 and 117 inches. Is this a hint for two body versions: a three-door and a five-door, respectively? It really made me curious.

The ground clearance of the production model will be around 300 mm / 11.8 inches. This is more than Wrangler Rubicon's and on par with the new Land Rover Defender's. This should raise an eyebrow for any offroad enthusiast out there and spark jealousy in every SUV fan. Because size ground clearance does matter, as they say.

Mahindra's officials praise Thar.e's "one-of-a-kind modular construction and adaptable components position." But I find it more important that Thar.e's INGLO EV platform is based on VW's MEB. Just one day before Thar.e's unveiling, Volkswagen Group and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. announced a partnership for supplying MEB electric components for more than one million of five all-electric future SUVs.

The rumor mill in India expects a starting price of Rs. 25.00 Lakh for the production model, which is around $30,000 / €28,681. This is a very competitive price for an electric offroader, and it could be possible if Mahindra would use less expensive Chinese batteries. But at this point, it's just a wild speculation.

The fact is India's ambitions should be noticed. While it's not as aggressive as China regarding "the new world order," India's industry, especially the road vehicles sector, is rising. I wonder if the production version of Thar.e will be much different than this concept car.

But, for now, it got my attention. And probably millions of other EV offroading enthusiasts. Because, if you didn't notice, true offroaders are ditching ICEs for battery-electric propulsion. This is a nice trend, and the Moon or Mars colonizers may be among these new early adopters.