Mahindra & Mahindra is all set to launch the much-anticipated Thar next month. But before the launch, the company has decided to auction the first unit of the 2020 Mahindra Thar. This is majorly being done to aid COVID’19 relief efforts. The biding for #1 Thar commenced on September 24th and will conclude on September 29th, 2020. To everyone’s surprise, Mahindra has received bids of Rs 89.50 lakhs for the new-gen Thar currently.
In order to participate in this auction, you will have to first get yourself registered online. The bidding for the SUV started at a reserve price of Rs 25 lakhs. Interested bidders were asked to place bids in multiples of Rs 25000. More than 3800 individuals from over 30 Indian cities participated in this auction. On Day 1, the top bidder for #1 Thar was Tom Mannapurathu Joseph from Ernakulam who placed a bid of Rs 81 lakhs. The next bid was set at Rs 81.25 lakh. As of today, the current bid amount is Rs 89.50 lakhs.
Once the auction ends, the highest bidder will be intimated about it. Furthermore, he will be the owner of the very first Mahindra Thar. Part of the amount that the bidder pays will go to Mahindra for Thar #1 and the rest of it will be directly contributed to one of the three organizations involved in COVID’19 Relief Work - Naandi Foundation, Swades Foundation, and the PM CARES fund. The winning bidder will also get to choose from all five variants and six color options that the 2020 Thar is available in.
The new Thar will be offered in two variants namely AX and LX. Mahindra has equipped the new Thar with a plethora of features. These include a 7.0-inch touchscreen system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, roof-mounted speakers, a color multi-info display for the instrument cluster, steering-mounted controls, and cruise control among others.
Under the bonnet, the 2020 Mahindra Thar will get two new engines. A 2.0-litre 'mStallion' petrol unit that develops 152 bhp power. It comes mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox along with a 6-speed automatic gearbox as an option. There will also be a 2.2-litre mHawk diesel unit on sale. This engine will generate 132 bhp power while being paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox along with a 6-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox.
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