First Mahindra Thar 2020 auctioned at Rs 1.11 crore; why is it so special?

New Delhi: The very first unit of the Mahindra Thar 2020 has been auctioned at whopping Rs 1.1 crore. Mahindra & Mahindra raised the amount through an online auction, that registered almost 5,500 entries from nearly 550 locations across the country. The company has matched the amount raised at the auction and the total proceeds of the auction will be donated towards COVID-19 relief work.

The winning bid was placed by New Delhi's Aakash Minda at Rs 1.11 crore, over 4 times the auction reserve price which was set at Rs. 25 lakhs. The winner has chosen Swades Foundation to receive the entire proceeds from the auction and support COVID-19 relief work, the company has said.

There were 37 bidders who put their top bid value at more than Rs 50 lakhs and 4 bidders put their top bids at over Rs 1 crore. The total value of the unique top bids by the bidders amounted to Rs 35.70 crores while the value of all bids received was at over Rs 105 crore, it added.

Online registrations for the auction opened on September 19, 2020, while the auction began on September 24, 2020 and concluded on September 29, 2020. Other top bidders were Vishwanath from Chikmaglur, Arun from Chennai, Abhishek Datta from Medinipur and Divyarajsinh from Rajkot.

Mahindra said that the entire idea of the auction was to harness the Thar’s iconic status and popularity and to galvanize the country during this trying time and aid its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The winner will be able to choose the Thar variant of his choice.

The auctioned Thar will come emblazoned with the Thar #1 badge, distinguishing the owner as the very first one. 

Other exclusive and distinguishing features on this All-New Thar #1 will include customized badging on the vehicle which will flaunt the owner’s initials, carry serial number ‘1’ on the decorative plate on the dashboard and leatherette seats.