Mahindra Opts Out Of Jeep Lawsuit; To Prioritise Local Demand For Thar

Modified On May 22, 2021 11:38 AM By Tarun for Mahindra Thar

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Overwhelmed by the strong demand for the second-gen Thar in India, Mahindra has no immediate plans to launch it overseas

In the second week of May, Jeep moved the court against Mahindra over the Thar’s resemblance to the Wrangler and its possible Australia launch.
With no immediate launch plans, Mahindra has stated “it was pointless to engage in litigation at this stage.”
If Mahindra does plan to launch it in Australia, it will have to serve a 90-day notice to Jeep.
Current waiting period for the Thar stretches close to 8-11 months in several cities.
As per Jeep, this outcome illustrates their commitment to protect the iconic trade dress and trademarks of the brand in Australia and overseas.

In the second week of May, Jeep had filed a lawsuit against Mahindra in Australia over the Thar’s resemblance to the Wrangler and its possible market launch. Now, in its first hearing on May 20, Mahindra has opted out of the case and confirmed it will not import or sell the Thar in Australia for the time being.

In a statement shared with us, Mahindra states, “We’re seeing very strong demand for the all-new Thar 2020 in India, therefore, have no immediate plans for launch of the current variant of the Thar in markets outside India. As a result, it was pointless to engage in litigation at this stage.”

Overwhelmed by the strong demand that it faces in India for the Thar, Mahindra has confirmed it has no immediate plans to launch the off-roader in international markets. However, the company has hinted at the possible launch of the Thar in future in overseas markets such as Australia.

“When we decide to launch any new variant of the Thar in Australia, we will provide 90 days’ notice to FCA and take all steps to protect our rights to market and sell the product. This has no bearing on our future plans in Australia as we continue to pursue expansion of our business across a number of vehicle categories,” the statement reads.

Jeep's parent brand Stellantis said, “FCA is pleased that Mahindra has conceded and undertaken that they will not import, market or sell the current Thar vehicle in Australia and will provide prior notice to FCA before bringing any future model or variant of the Thar into Australia. This outcome illustrates our commitment to protect the iconic trade dress and trademarks of the Jeep®️ brand here and overseas, and continue to engage the passion our customers and loyal Jeep community in Australia have for these iconic vehicles.”

While the Australian market will not get the Thar in its current form, we believe it could be one of the future derivatives of the off-roader, like its rumoured five-door version.

Closer to home, the Mahindra Thar is one of the most popular cars on sale. The second-gen model was launched in October 2020 with 150PS 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and 130PS 2.2-litre diesel engines, both paired to 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions with 4WD as standard.

The Thar is more premium than ever, with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, cruise control, hardtop and convertible roof options, steering-mounted audio controls, and dual front airbags. It is priced between Rs 12.11 lakh and 14.16 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).