Mahindra has clearly been spending a lot of time in the planning and design studios the last few months and it showed at a global event in Cape Town where they unveiled their ambitious plans to increase their global presence, known as Futurescape.
Outside of India South Africa is their biggest market so it made sense that they hosted it locally with journalists, celebrities and Mahindra senior executives converging in a spectacular dome erected on Lourensford Estate in Somerset West.
There was a lot happening but for bakkie-mad South Africans the biggest news was the unveiling of the new Global Concept Pik Up, as yet unnamed but code-named Z121.
Mahindra’s bakkies feature well on the monthly sales charts and they were at pains to explain that it would be an addition to the current Bolero and Pik Up (assembled in Durban) ranges. Good news for consumers.
According to Veejay Nakra, President for the Automotive Division of Mahindra and the man responsible for launching the brand in South Africa in 2004, at least 85 percent of the concept bakkie will make it to production.
So expect the cool looking but impractical two spare wheels in the loadbay to be replaced by a more conventional set-up.
It will be a “from the ground up” new development with a strengthened chassis, custom suspension, new wheelbase, revised towing capacity (currently 2,500kg), and track widths.
According to Mahindra it will in all probability be powered by the new generation 2.2-litre MHawk with 129kW and 400Nm and mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.
It will be fitted with a variety of offroad settings as well as on-road driving modes such as Zip, Zap, Zoom and Custom. It’s safe to assume it will come with the Eaton Locking Differential, but dare we hope for a front locker as well?
The concept interior shows a large touchscreen infotainment system and an analogue (thank goodness for us old-timers) instrument cluster.
They’ve also collaborated with Harmon to develop a quality Harmon/Kardon sound system especially for the Pik Up.
It will feature some outstanding technology as well with level-2 semi-autonomous features including adaptive cruise control, collision-warning braking, lane departure and lane centring tech and automatic parking.
Nakra confirmed that there would be a single cab version too, and that the possibility of an extended cab is under investigation.
Aimed directly at the chart-topping Hilux and Ranger if it stays true to concept expect a few ruffled feathers including Isuzu.
There’s no word yet on a release date but expect it to be towards the end of 2024 or beginning 2025, but they did confirm that as with all Mahindras it will be keenly priced.
Staying with the offroad theme the Concept Thar.e, confirmed for local release, certainly looks the part if like they say, it will closely resemble the concept.
It’s a profile and shape that could easily have been designed by Lego considering too it has a number of interchangeable parts such as the front and rear bumpers that are the same size and shape.
Technical details aren’t fully released yet but it will have an 80kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with an electric motor fitted on the front and rear axles.
Asked whether there was any chance of the current new-look ICE Thar being made available locally, Nakra admitted that they were struggling to meet local demand with a huge backlog so it’s not being considered at this stage.
Mahindra Electric Automobiles Limited (MEAL) will also be launching an onslaught on the Electric Vehicle market with a host of fully BEV SUVs including the Thar.e.
According to Nakra, hybrids in any form don't feature in any of their plans going forward.
As they say: May you live in interesting times.