PM Narendra Modi rides India-made Mahindra Thar SUV during Ahmedabad roadshow

This is for the first time Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been spotted in a Mahindra Thar SUV and that too in the open top variant.

Image: ANI

Just a day after landslide victories in four states Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did a roadshow at the poll-bound Gujarat. During his two-day visit to Gujarat, his home state, PM Modi held the roadshow from the Ahmedabad airport to the Gujarat BJP headquarters. 

At the roadshow, PM Modi was seen riding the open-top Mahindra Thar SUV standing behind the front seats. This is for the first time Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been spotted in a Mahindra Thar SUV and that too in an open top variant. 

#WATCH | PM Modi shows victory sign as he greets the crowd during roadshow in Ahmedabad, post BJP's win in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. pic.twitter.com/ITcaNnXF4g — ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2022

Given the VVIP security given to the PM, he is often spotted in armoured vehicles ranging from Toyota Fortuner to Range Rover and newly acquired Mercedes-Benz S-Class. However, there has been a long demand to include India-made cars in the PM's security detail. 

Companies like Mahindra and Tata have been making some world-class SUVs for long now and have been used avidly by the political class of India, including vehicles like Mahindra Scorpio and Tata Safari. However, the newly launched Mahindra Thar has been gaining a lot of traction in India.

It's not clear if PM Modi was standing in a SPG-sourced vehicle or a vehicle belonging to a someone else. Usually, PM's cars are black in colour and doesn't have any open area that increases threat to the security of the Prime Minister. This means, the SUV belongs to someone else. 

The green-coloured Mahindra Thar was dressed with flowers at the bonnet and at the back area where PM Modi was standing along with other members of BJP. The car was driven by his security detail.