On Indian Independence Day, 15 August 2023, Indian carmaker Mahindra, unveiled their new double-cab bakkie concept at their signature Futurescape event held in Cape Town. Currently named the “Global Pik Up”, and likely to change before it goes on sale, the bakkie looks set to take on market leaders such as the Ford Ranger and the Toyota Hilux.  

The car’s imposing and arguably futuristic exterior showed off a water snorkel, LED lights and roof rails. South Africans can expect to see the bakkie, which is currently at concept stage, in showrooms between late 2024 and 2025. The prototype on show, which was designed at Mahindra India Design Studio, represents more than 80% of what the car will look like in production, according to Mahindra. 

While exact specs are yet to be released, the four-wheel-drive bakkie will come in a manual transmission, as well as a six-speed automatic transmission. Mahindra says it will also feature a terrain management system with the familiar normal, snow, mud and sand driving options, as well as four primary drive modes, current called “zip”, “zap”, ”zoom”, and a “custom” mode, all of which would be familiar to owners of Mahindra’s XUV700 SUV.  Mahindra also stated that the Global Pik Up would use the 2.2-litre turbodiesel M-Hawk engine which is currently available in the local Pik Up.

The brand also promises an immersive branded audio system, 5G connectivity, semi-automatic parking, as well as level two autonomous driving features. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers, which established the six levels of driving automation (levels 0-5), while level one provides familiar driver assist features such as lane centring or adaptive cruise control, level two automation takes it up a notch and identifies cars that can perform both those functions, and simultaneously. 

The prototype on show, which was designed at Mahindra India Design Studio, represents more than 80% of what the car will look like in production. Image: Supplied

While exact specs are yet to be released, the four-wheel drive bakkie will come in a manual transmission, as well as a six-speed automatic transmission. Image: Supplied

Mahindra says it will also feature a terrain management system with the familiar normal, snow, mud and sand driving options. Image: Supplied

Two areas of focus that Mahindra hammered repeatedly during the presentation, were their commitment to becoming a global company, as well as strengthening their image as a lifestyle brand. In line with these, they also shared the “Born Electric” vision, which includes plans to launch an electric version of their Jeep-lookalike, the Mahindra Thar, which will be the Thar.e. With its boxy, angular ruggedness, it looks much less like a Jeep in its future electric iteration. 

It is based on a unibody architecture rather than the body-on-frame seen on the engine, and it will, depending on the model, feature electric motors sourced from Volkswagen and produce power from as little as 80 kW to 210 kW.

The car will also feature swappable parts. 

The Thar.e has boxy, angular rugged silhouette. Image: Supplied

Front view of the Mahindra Thar.e. Image: Supplied

Although there is no exact date yet, the Thar.e will be launched in the UK market in the not-too-distant future, and potentially also be available in South Africa. Image: Supplied

“We have one lighting unit that you can use four times in the front and in the rear. We have couple two fenders which you use all over the car. We have one bumper which you use in the front and back so if you damage it you change just that part, you don’t throw away everything, that’s waste,” said Mahindra’s Chief of design, Pratap Bose, adding that all the plastic material in the car is unpainted and untreated, “making it easier to recycle”.

Although there is no exact date yet, the Thar.e will be launched in the UK market in the not-too-distant future, and potentially also be available in South Africa. DM