From the Apex · Launch Mode · 2026-09-23

The Thar gets more power, six airbags and a new top trim. Mahindra kept the starting price where it was.

A better Thar at the old price, a black Sierra and Stellantis buying out its Indian partner. Abroad, Volvo plans 13 new cars and McLaren retires most of its range.

This Week in Cars, 16 to 22 September. The three-door Thar got more power and more safety kit, and kept its starting price. Abroad, Volvo and McLaren both redrew their ranges.

India

The Thar is now the Thar OG, and most of it costs what it did. It starts at Rs 10.32 lakh ex-showroom for the AXT 1.5 diesel manual and tops out at Rs 18.99 lakh for a new ZXT trim with the 2.2 diesel automatic and four-wheel drive. The 2.2 diesel now makes 152 PS and 330 Nm, and the 2.0 turbo petrol 162 PS and 330 Nm, both up 30 Nm. It also gets six airbags, revised suspension and steering, LED headlamps and 19-inch alloys. Google's first suggestion for "thar og" is already "thar og alloy wheels". Karol Bagh is taking bookings. Of the seven Thar versions axler8 tracked before the launch, six carry the same price and the seventh is Rs 1,000 dearer. The cheapest Thar ROXX we track costs Rs 12.52 lakh, so the three-door still undercuts it by Rs 2.20 lakh. Thar · Thar ROXX

The Sierra gets a Dark Edition. Prices run from Rs 13.99 lakh to Rs 21.59 lakh, ex-showroom. It costs Rs 20,000 more than the Pure L it is built on and Rs 30,000 more on the trims above. The paint is Friesian Black and the trim is blacked out, with violet accents inside. The engines and equipment don't change. The Dark Edition starts Rs 2.50 lakh above the cheapest Sierra we track, the Smart+ petrol manual at Rs 11.49 lakh. Sierra

Stellantis now owns all of its Indian car plant. It bought the stake Hindustan Motor Finance Corporation still held in the Thiruvallur joint venture, where Citroen builds the C3, eC3X, Aircross X and Basalt X. Output is planned to rise from 16,000 cars this year to more than 43,000 a year by 2028. We track 27 Citroen versions across four models, from Rs 4.99 lakh. C3 · Basalt X · Aircross X · eC3X

Elsewhere

Volvo will launch 13 new cars by the end of 2030. Seven are for Western markets and use Volvo's SPA2 and SPA3 platforms. The other six are for China and are being developed with Geely. In Europe it promises a fully electric range by 2030, with new low-body cars alongside the SUVs. In India Volvo sells the EC40, EX30, XC60 and XC90, and the EX90 and ES90 go on sale here on 12 October.

McLaren is retiring most of its range. The GTS goes in 2027, the 750S around the same time and the Artura by the end of 2028. A twin-turbo V6 hybrid supercar and McLaren's first SUV, with its engine at the front, come next. "No longer will we be only rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive cars," said Michael Straughan, the chief operating officer. McLaren also has a new logo. The lettering comes from the sign over Bruce McLaren's parents' service station in Auckland, and the Speedmark, the swoosh that has been part of the logo since 1997, is no longer in it, though McLaren will keep using it on its own. The Speedmark was the iconic part; the new capitals look like a law firm's. The GT, 750S and Artura are all on sale in India. 750S · Artura

Saudi Arabia showed its first home-grown cars. Ceer, a joint venture between the Public Investment Fund and Foxconn, revealed the Exobot saloon and SUV. Both are electric, with gullwing doors, a 112 kWh battery and an 800-volt system. The three-motor version makes 1,111 hp. Series production starts in January 2027. Ceer has announced nothing for India.

Coming up

Tata's Tigor facelift arrives as the Aeris on 25 September. The Porsche Cayenne Electric makes its India debut on 30 September, the facelifted Mercedes-Maybach S-Class follows on 5 October and the updated Honda Elevate on 6 October.