Kit Car Magazine

Indian Wrangler wants to change its model to enter overseas market.

You may not be familiar with Mahindra Thar, an Indian car, but after seeing pictures, I think you will be thinking, "Isn't that a Wrangler?" The Jeep Wrangler's status in SUV history is clear, and its unique design has also attracted many manufacturers to learn from very first Kia Sportage and China's relatively well-known BJ40, which have more or less Wrangler shadows. . However, Mahindra Tar rarely engages in dishonest plagiarism. Recently, Indian carmaker, in order to allow Thar, which has been hit by local sales, to gain a larger market, Mahindra plans to make some appearance adjustments to remove legal barriers to sales in Australia.

If you've seen look of Thar, it's not surprising for this brand. The look is mostly based on previous generation Wrangler, with minor changes to headlight cluster and air intake grille, but overall it's not. break away from frame of Wrangler completely. Its boldness can even reach 1:1 replica levels, and even details such as width indicators on fenders are not spared.

The side and rear differences are even smaller, Mahindra tries to avoid trouble with differently shaped wheel arches front and rear, but copies them everywhere. Veteran car enthusiasts can naturally see various clues, but it's really hard for average consumers to tell difference between it and Wrangler.

The interior is also same routine. After applying "template" Wrangler, it uses low-quality and cheap design details, but for a thoroughbred SUV, this is not so bad, and equipment is also passable. .

In terms of performance, there is no way to copy operations, but it also has two power sources, gasoline and diesel. The gasoline version is equipped with a 2.0L four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine with a maximum output of 150 horsepower. . The other is more popular 2.2t turbo diesel engine in India, which also has a maximum output of 130 horsepower. As for transmission system, you can choose a 6-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed automatic transmission. In addition to part-wheel drive system, you can also choose a cheaper rear-wheel drive version.

Overview

It's no surprise that Tar has a lawsuit at all, with such blatant plagiarism, it's hard for Tar to make a move in foreign market. Naturally, Mahindra also wants to expand into foreign markets in order to keep model sales through facelift. According to previous court decisions, if Mahindra wants to sell model in Australia, it will show new Jeep Australia design in advance "to show its innocence". However, there is currently no information about new design, only that there will be a five-door version and a changed appearance. Facts have proven that such plagiarism has not been recognized by consumers, and it will be limited by relevant laws and regulations in overseas markets. Even if it enters market after a facelift, who would want to buy a copycat car with a black history?