Mahindra Thar India launch today

The Mahindra Thar is set to launch in India today and will be the company's first non-commercial based car. It features rugged, open-style motoring with a removable hardtop roof, four-wheel drive and a 2.5-litre 78kW turbo-diesel engine. The engine also offers 247Nm of torque and passes Euro 4 emissions standards.

The Mahindra Thar will be a fairly serious off-road car and comes with an auto-locking hub lock system which means four-wheel drive excursions needn't require anyone to get out of the car to manually lock the front hubs. The system is also matched to a five-speed manual Borg Warner gearbox incorporating high and low ratios.

Being heavy duty is what makes up much of this car's design so it features front disc brakes (drum rear), live axle rear suspension and differential arrangement, independent front suspension, 200mm ground clearance and offers an approach angle of 46 degrees and a departure angle of 30 degrees.

There is adequate comfort though, with features like air conditioning and power steering making their way into the cabin, while the car rides on stabiliser bars front and rear; the car will offer respectable on-road competence as well.

Pricing for the new car is yet to be announced but as per usual Mahindra, the Thar is expected to go on sale in India with a significant price advantage over it's nearest competition.