Tata Motors on Wednesday confirmed that its upcoming 7-seater SUV will be christened as Safari, which will be launched in the domestic market very soon. The homegrown automaker will be resurrecting the iconic Safari nameplate with its flagship product. Codenamed Gravitas, the SUV was unveiled at the 2020 Auto Expo, and ever since it has been eagerly awaited in the Indian market. The auto manufacturer also confirmed that the pre-launch bookings for the all-new Safari will commence this month. It will be based on its OMEGARC platform.
Also Read: Tata Gravitas To Be Branded As Tata Safari; Launch Likely This Month
The SUV was previewed in the form of Tata Buzzard Concept at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show.
The production of the Safari is already underway and it will soon arrive at the authorised showrooms. The car will start reaching homes by the last quarter. Aesthetically, the SUV is expected to get subtle changes than the 5-seater Harrier, to differentiate the two SUVs. The former will be longer than the younger sibling by 70 mm while the wheelbase and track remain the same. This information was exclusively shared with carandbike by Pratap Bose, Tata Motors during a recent Freewheeling with SVP session.
Pratap Bose, VP, Global Design - Tata Motors said, " We'll keep differentiating these two products as we go along. People must understand that products have a life. The Safari was around for over 20 years. What you launch the car as is never the end of a story, it actually the beginning of a story. Now we have Safari and Harrier, both we take on its own life. Harrier is sporty, is more personal, it's for self-drive generation, it's more coupe-like profile, stands out on the road. Same with Safari, it's for those who want to seek the same adventure but want to do in a large group."
undefined
He also hinted that the carmaker could introduce a 4X4 drivetrain on the Safari depending on the market demand. However, he said, the market needs to be more mature, as less than 1 per cent of 3 million cars sold in the country each year are 4x4 vehicles.
Also Read: Upcoming Tata Micro SUV Will Resemble Up To 85 Per Cent Of The HBX Concept: Pratap Bose
The soon-to-be-launched Tata Safari will be powered by the Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine. It is the same engine that also powers the Harrier SUV. The unit is tuned to make 168 bhp and 350 Nm of power figures. Transmission duties will be handled by a 6-speed manual gearbox along with an optional 6-speed automatic torque converter.
