[tazmaan]

Originally Posted by pradyblr

The article states this is intended for the taxi market and probably there might be takers for it. In that sense will it compete with Innova now? In the taxi market do people give importance to ABS, Airbags?

You would be surprised at percentage of people who dont care about ABS, airbags and even seat belts. A lot private buyers would want to buy an 8 seater with good space at this rate. But it sure would eat into new safari sales.

[Driving_Nomad]

Finally, one last effort by TML to sell the Aria! IMO, this variant should have been there from day one itself!This, hopefully, will bring a stiff competition in this segment.

Who knows, even people who have booked the ertiga might be tempted to think over again. I dont think even the innova will come with such equipment at this price and this is definitely a good step forward for TML!

[jaysmokesleaves]

Finally, the Aria is being priced the way it should have been priced right from the start.
Im not sure how much this is going to help improve its sales or image. but at this price, the vehicle is surely VFM for the kit on offer as stripped down. The existing Safari also has a single mass flywheel and its quite bearable.

But i wonder if this is going to help Tata save its vehicles from the grave. Poor pricing strategy from the start has made a huge dent that the competition relished.

But look whats funny. the difference between the base version and top end is a whooping 5 lakhs.

(Ex showroom prices from the Aria website)
Tata Aria 4X2 Tata Aria 4X4
CHOOSE STATE MH
CHOOSE CITY MUMBAI

Variant Interior Price
Pure LX 4x2 BS IV
Rs 1014495
Pure 4x2 BS III
Black &Beige Fabric
Rs 1191574
Pure 4x2 BS IV
Black &Beige Fabric
Rs 1213086
Pleasure 4x2 BS IV
Black &Beige Fabric
Rs 1349449
Prestige 4x2 BS IV
Black & Plum Leather
Rs 1525717

Tata should hire a roadside chanawaala(roadside peanut seller) as their sales head. Im sure he will price their products better.

[MaserQ]

A case of too little, too late for the Aria? Tata made a good product but then got ahead of themselves and priced it out of contention. They should have pitched it against the Innova in the first place. Or they should have built an out-and-out SUV on the new platform as a replacement for the Safari.

Who knows...with a strong marketing message, they might just be able to fashion a second coming for this capable vehicle.

[zenren]

Its sad to see that the safety features are the first to get axed when it comes to cost cutting.

If a vehicle is capable of being driven at high speeds, then it should also have the capability to come to a halt safely from those speeds in case of emergencies (which we encounter very often on our roads). ABS/EBD is mostly optional but a turbocharger to increase power is a standard these days.

Somehow wish ARAI/govt would make the safety features compulsory. If its a rule, then the price factor wouldn't impact the companies since the same increase would happen to competitor models as well.

Sunny/Scala/City are some of the few models in sub-10L that offer the safety features in their base models but since they are not the segment leaders in sales, even they might be forced to introduce a lower priced variant without safety features soon to tackle the competition!

[Sarvodaya]

Originally Posted by rkg

I think the price is justified to be on par with Innova

My Bad. I was telling that at least ABS should have been offered on the Base Model to dent Innova Sales. Also the Base Model and top end model difference is whopping 5 Lakhs. A price rejig is essential for Aria Models immediately.

[svdath]

Originally Posted by rkg

Innova base model costs 10 lakh - what one will get is a car with power steering. Innova proudly mentions the steering wheel is PVC not PU. That's all. AC without rear vents.

Of course one will get TOYOTA brand

ARIA-- 10 lakh --- what is on offer over and above Innova

Rear AC vents
Power windows
PU steering as against PVC steering( Because TOYOTA made this a feature)
All Disc brakes
MID
Better GC ( 200 mm Vs 170 of Innova)
140 HP Vs 100 HP
Electric ORVM with heated demister facility
Fog lamps- rear
Glove box chiller
Auto bonnet lift
Key less entry , immobiliser with parametric alarm system
Height adjustable driver seat
Puddle lamps
Automatic door unlock in case of accident

I think the price is justified to be on par with Innova

I think some how we end up beating up TATA on every model they release. I think Aria is a segment definer and actually Toyota needs to follow the features provided in Aria. I am pretty sure that when Toyota does that, the pricing of Innova would move up by atleast couple of lakhs.

[safari_lover]

Just checked the Aria website. The Pure variant gets ABS, dual mass fly wheel, music system and fabric seats over the PureLx, for a whopping 2L! Are these features worth so much?

If we take PureLx as the base price then all other variants' pricing needs to be streamlined accordingly, IMO.

[byomjeet]

Strategic move by Tatas. This will result in more number of ARIAs on the roads. But, will they still be able to beat Innova the most reliable, comfortable and on demand people mover available in the market now?

[swarnava.m]

Makes no sense to me. I pay 10L for a car that I am certainly going to use for long drives (its as comfortable as a sedan, right?), and don't get ABS, EBD and Airbags???

I'd much rather compromise on raw power and go for a Duster, and feel much more protected in the process.

[rkg]

Duster 85 PS Xl model costs 9.48 in Bangalore ( ex show room)

This model also does not have ABS, EBD or airbags,

Forget them, it did not have driver seat height adjust, lumbar support, rear wipe and wash, defogger, driver seat belt alarm, fog lamps, rear AC vents, ORVM manual and not body colored, no DISm even front and rear reading lamps are absent


Only MUV model which has ABS, EBD and air bags with ex showroom cost at 10 lakh is Nissan evalia. but it comes with 165/R 14, with 4.4 meter in length,

[Gurudatta Nayak]

We can expect some discount on LX pure version in couple of months . With that the MUV will be VFM. Aria handles Indian road quite well the only concern is the plastic quality.

Tata needs to add a facelift which can distinguish the rear portion from Indica family.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by svdath

I think some how we end up beating up TATA on every model they release. I think Aria is a segment definer and actually Toyota needs to follow the features provided in Aria. I am pretty sure that when Toyota does that, the pricing of Innova would move up by atleast couple of lakhs.

I have never seen any model of Tata being criticized for lack of features. However, as a visitor to Tata workshop every alternate weekend, I am stunned to see new vehicles going extensive repairs. Imagine finding multiple Arias. A vehicle not seen on roads is a common site in service centers.
All these price cuts will not sway buyers. A 10L rupee car buyer expects a certain level of reliability. When that level is not met, he will go elsewhere.
Surprisingly, Tata commercial vehicles have quality rivaling that of Toyota. Maybe the passenger car division needs to learn something from that.

[antz.bin]

IMO this is a great move by TML. A lower priced variant will definitely bring more visibility for the brand on the road. At its current price, its priced within ~20k of the Base 8-seater BS4 Innova which gets practically NOTHING in terms of features compared to the *stripped out* Aria.

Over the *almost* identically priced Innova variant, the Aria Pure LX provides:
Power Windows, Rear AC, Body Colored Bumpers and Mirrors, More Power, GC, FE, All Disc Brakes, central locking, remote lock, longer length, and a bigger boot.

Its definitely the only car < 20lac that you can take on a weekend getaway with 7 people AND their luggage *inside* the car.

If only they could get their act together in terms of reliability and provide a longer, say, 5 year or 1.5lac km warranty (for gathering customer confidence), Aria will definitely be unbeatable in the segment!

[hdnivara]

I don't know whether this will give some juice for Tata given that XUV 5OO is close to 5K mark now. The price difference between the bare bone versions of Aria & XUV is close to a couple of lacs and you get airbags, ABS, ESP and discs on all 4 just on the safety aspect.

Aria is gorgeous product which has been solely let down by Tata because of it's absurd pricing. Sales volumes speaks for themselves.

Though Innova is nowhere close to Aria interms of featrues, it's from a stable known for reliability. OTOH, the general perception among the public on owning a Tata is not same as owning a Toyota.