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Tata Motors launched the Intra, an SCV, today priced between 5.35 - 5.85 lakhs ex-showroom. Capacity-wise it can carry a little more than the Ace XL, but its USP seems to be the comfortable cabin.
I am really happy to see that they are experimenting with making CVs more personal, and I am interested to see if the market responds favorably.
Some images and content from
NDTV Auto Quote:
Tata says that the new Intra is targeted towards customers who are looking for a commercial vehicle that can be both, a workhorse as well as a stylish and comfortable personal vehicle.
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Other features include a charging socket, lockable glovebox, a standard music system with Radio, AUX-IN and USB connectivity, and a fully digital instrument cluster, offering read-outs for speedometre, odometre, time, fuel gauge, and a segment-first gear shift indicator, or as Tata calls it Gear Shift Advisor (GSA)
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Some more images from
Pratap Bose's Twitter:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amartya
(Post 4593179)
Tata Motors launched the Intra, an SCV, today priced between 5.35 - 5.85 lakhs ex-showroom. Capacity-wise it can carry a little more than the Ace XL, but its USP seems to be a comfortable cabin.
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Catching on to the comfortable cabin, I hope they come up with a people mover on the same lines, the cabin comfort focus could itself be the reason for a 7 seater UV, which could be a van (that could be used as a mini school bus)
This could be a nice platform for building a motor home. Compact enough to drive into urban areas but big enough to sleep two. Can anyone post the dimensions of the cargo area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amartya
(Post 4593179)
Capacity-wise it can carry a little more than the Ace XL, but its USP seems to be the comfortable cabin.
I am really happy to see that they are experimenting with making CVs more personal, and I am interested to see if the market responds favorably.
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Sadly I don't think the Market will take this as a hit just for the cabin. A commercial vehicle is a workhorse and abused. Owners don't care if there is a stylish cabin or not. How much does it cost to maintain and how much can it haul are more important.
Quote:
Tata says that the new Intra is targeted towards customers who are looking for a commercial vehicle that can be both, a workhorse as well as a stylish and comfortable personal vehicle.
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One reason = Yellow plates. I have driven yellow board cars quite a bit and know the discrimination faced by the drivers, especially if there is no 'saheb' in the back seat. So unless this mentality changes, I doubt anyone would consider a commercial vehicle (a truck no less) as a dual purpose vehicle. Maybe the likes of Isuzu D Max or V Cross could work as you can register it on company name + haul quite a bit of stuff when needed. Other times it'll be a nice recreational vehicle.
Can I also say that it's a pretty good-looking small truck? We always talk about how Tata's car range has improved in design, but let's also appreciate the detailing here. Right from the metallic blue (first seen on the Indica??) to the funky wheel caps to the dark grey plastic panels and handsome face, it's a neat CV. At least from the pictures, the dashboard looks better than that of the Honda Brio :Shockked:. The doorpad has superbly placed "TATA" branding, while the bottle holder is snazzy.
To owner-drivers, I bet the looks matter as much as they do to some of us car guys.
woaah, it actually looks desirable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackwasp
(Post 4593577)
A commercial vehicle is a workhorse and abused. Owners don't care if there is a stylish cabin or not. How much does it cost to maintain and how much can it haul are more important.
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Not really. My cousin owns a distributor business and operates CVs of similar capacity. It is difficult to get drivers for vehicles with heavy steering or if it is hopelessly under-powered like the Piaggio 3 wheeler.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fiestarry
(Post 4593563)
Can anyone post the dimensions of the cargo area.
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According to
this site, the load body's dimensions are 8.2ft x 5.3ft.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackwasp
(Post 4593577)
How much does it cost to maintain and how much can it haul are more important.
One reason = Yellow plates. I have driven yellow board cars quite a bit and know the discrimination faced by the drivers, especially if there is no 'saheb' in the back seat. So unless this mentality changes, I doubt anyone would consider a commercial vehicle (a truck no less) as a dual purpose vehicle.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO
(Post 4593666)
To owner-drivers, I bet the looks matter as much as they do to some of us car guys.
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I thought these two quotes go together to identify the market segment /sweet spot that Tata Motors is experimenting with :).
If the installment payments compared to something like the Ace XL are within reach, and the truck is aspirational enough, it might just work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SmartCat
(Post 4593679)
Not really. My cousin owns a distributor business and operates CVs of similar capacity. It is difficult to get drivers for vehicles with heavy steering or if it is hopelessly under-powered like the Piaggio 3 wheeler.
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I have heard similar things about trucks being equipped with A/Cs. I also think the Intra being equipped with power steering and an A/C (optional?) work in its favour.
Here'a a video that is not very informative, but it shows the vehicle (both exterior and interior) very clearly. That blue color suits this truck :).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyWEtn-IiuE
Great attempt and welcome initiative by Tata, for providing better interiors in commercial vehicles. I have always wondered how these CV drivers managed long hours with the kind of seats that companies usually provide with these vehicles.
Would really like to see such cabins in their HCVs as well.
But the sad truth is, most of the CVs are driven by hired drivers, and hence the owners don't care about the cabin/creature comforts, but care only about operating costs. This would really appeal to the owner-cum-driver crowd, I believe.
Our friendly neighbourhood
AutoSpy caught a Tata Intra CNG bi-fuel test mule doing the rounds in Pune a couple days back.
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