When Maruti Suzuki launched the Jimny earlier this year, it was believed that it would dethrone the Mahindra Thar. However, a few months into the competition, and the Jimny has already succumbed in front of the Mahindra Thar. With the release of the sales figures for the month of November, it has been noted that the Thar has outsold the Jimny 6 times over. Yes, you heard that right. While the Jimny only managed to achieve sales of 1,020 units, the Thar, on the other hand, managed to post a sales tally of 5,810, almost 6 times.
November Sales Analysis: Mahindra Thar vs Maruti Jimny
Coming to the detailed sales analysis, the Jimny, as mentioned, posted a sales figure of 1,020 units in November. Now, as the model was not available last year, there is no Year-on-Year growth percent. However, on a monthly basis, the Jimny’s sales fell by a massive 45 percent. In October, Jimny posted sales of 1,852 units. Coming to the Thar, on a Year-on-Year growth basis, the Thar managed to post a phenomenal growth of 46 percent, while its month-on-month growth was only 4 percent. In October, Thar managed to post a sales tally of 5,593 units.
Reasons behind Mahindra Thar’s Success
As stated above, when the Maruti Suzuki Jimny was launched in the country, it was believed that the Jimny would eat away a major chunk of the Thar’s market share. However, that did not take place, and instead, the Jimny has seen substantial discounts of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh on its Alpha and Zeta variants, respectively. Now, this has a lot to do with the Mahindra Thar. So if you are one of those people who are curious to know the reasons behind Thar’s success, then read on.
Bigger Size and Bigger Road Presence
It is a fact that the Mahindra Thar is a lot bigger than the Maruti Suzuki Jimny. Despite both being of the same length at 3,985 mm, the Jimny is less wide and has a lower height than that of the Thar. The Thar also boasts a bigger ground clearance at 226 mm, meanwhile, the Jimny only offers 210 mm. All of these dimensions contribute to a big size difference, and in India, SUV buyers love bigger SUVs. The Mahindra Thar also has a much bolder and aggressive road presence than the Jimny.
More Powerful Engine Options
Maruti Suzuki Jimny is only offered with a single powertrain option of a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine which makes 104 PS of power and 134 Nm of torque. On the other hand, the Mahindra Thar is offered with a number of different powertrain options. It gets a 1.5-litre diesel engine, a 2.2-litre diesel engine, and a 2.0-litre petrol engine as well. The lowest-powered Thar, which makes around 116 bhp, is more powerful than the Maruti Suzuki Jimny, and this has led to a huge disparity in the sales volume.
Different Roof Options
Another one of the reasons which has contributed to Thar’s success is the options of different roofs. The Mahindra Thar is offered with a hardtop as well as a soft-top roof. This provides buyers with a number of options. Meanwhile, the Jimny, on the other hand, only comes with a hardtop roof, which limits the choices of the customers.
Rear Wheel Drive Option
A lot of people in India, although they want the SUV styling, do not want the hardcore off-roading capabilities. Hence, Mahindra launched the RWD Thar in the country, and so far, it has been a massive success. The most affordable variant of the Thar is the RWD variant, which is priced at Rs 10.98 lakh, is cheaper than the Jimny base variant, which is priced at Rs 12.74 lakh. This affordability has played a huge role in the success of the Jimny.
Classic Jeep Shape: Heritage and Legacy
Finally, another important reason behind the high sales volume of the Mahindra Thar is its instantly recognizable Jeep shape. The Thar continues the lineage of its predecessors, which were known for their off-road capabilities and was already a household name. However, the Jimny in India, on the other hand, did not have a history and is only vaguely related to the legendary Maruti Gypsy. This has deterred a lot of buyers away from the Jimny.
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