This Mahindra Thar rival halts Maruti's SUV march even as Brezza, Fronx shine

Maruti Suzuki India commenced FY25 on a strong note so far as SUV wholesales are concerned, selling close to 40,000 units in April 2024. While models like the Brezza and the Fronx witnessed handsome volumes, the Grand Vitara did lower than expected. However, the Jimny started the fiscal on a rather poor note.

Maruti's SUV volumes grew 38.4% year-on-year (y-o-y) at 39,307 units in April 2024 from 28,400 units in April 2023. The star performers last month were the Brezza and the Fronx at 17,113 units and 14,286 units, respectively.

The Grand Vitara, which averaged over 10,000 units in FY24 on a monthly basis, could garner wholesales of only 7,651 units in April 2024. The underwhelming performance of the Jimny continued to hurt the overall SUV volumes of Maruti as the off-roader clocked merely 257 units during the month.

The Maruti Suzuki Brezza is priced between Rs 8.34 lakh and Rs 14.14 lakh (ex-showroom). The Maruti Suzuki Fronx sits in the price bracket of Rs 7.51 lakh to Rs 13.03 lakh (ex-showroom).

The price of the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, which is the carmaker's flagship SUV, starts at Rs 10.99 lakh and goes up to Rs 20.09 lakh (ex-showroom). The Maruti Suzuki Jimny comes in the price range of Rs 12.74 lakh to Rs 14.95 lakh (ex-showroom).

Despite Jimny's reputation as a robust and capable off-roader, potential buyers have expressed concerns over its pricing. According to our dealer sources, customers are finding the price to be high.

The Maruti Suzuki Jimny rivals the Mahindra Thar, which is priced between Rs 11.25 lakh and Rs 17.60 lakh (ex-showroom). The Mahindra Thar recorded average monthly volumes of over 5,400 units in FY24. It posted wholesales of over 6,100 units in April 2024.

A muscular design, strong road presence and multiple powertrain options have worked in favour of the Mahindra Thar.