[lazy]

You know what is that one thing that stands out for Safari?
It is the only automobile on Indian roads which only a "heart over mind" person drives. You see someone driving a Safari, you know he/she is someone who follows his/her heart.


There will be no other vehicle that captures the imagination of a generation as Safari did, when it was launched in 1999. This generation is at 35-50 age bracket today. The ideal age to buy a 20 lakh car in India. The younger lot doesn't love the Safari as this cohort. So, Tata has missed a huge revenue potential by not keeping the product relevant & trouble-free.

Brand Managers would kill to work on a brand like the Safari - cult following, passionate fans and a very sharply defined core product values (from Brand stand point).
But, Tata couldn't handle the brand.
Whether the Brand Managers were mediocre or the Corporate strategy was flawed, we'll probably never know. But the outcome is dismal sales numbers and hence an iconic 100% Indian brand has been sunset. Its a tragedy.

Scorpio came later and still doing 4K units per month, even during GST month. And it is a lesser product in every way.
Clearly, Safari was in wrong hands at Tata.

cheers
lazy

[deetjohn]

A lot of sensationalism by CarToq on that article referred. It's not like the Safari moniker is completely dead. The Storme is always referred to as Safari Storme.

Else, many wouldn't know what vehicle is being referred to.

Even Mahindra used to call the 4x4 variant of the Bolero as Storm.

And if you want to push it, we even had a 2 seater sports car from San Motors called the Storm.

So, I am very sure the Safari moniker will live on. Besides confusion, there is no point in killing one of the strongest brand names by Tata ever.

[hemanth.anand]

Everything has to come to an end. A wonderful car. Absolutely love the way it looks(I don't know who doesn't).
Although I never owned one, I've got lots of memories attached to it. My friend and BHPian avianshsg has this beast even today and we will create more memories in the coming days too.
We fondly call it the Airavatha(Indra's white elephant) and I don't have a better image to dedicate to it than the below photo.



The car has taken us to the far corners of the nation in all kinds of weather, all kinds of terrain, with hardly any issues "touchwood". A couple of images more from among the thousands of images I've taken of this majestic looking vehicle





People are going to miss this "beast and beauty" of a machine

[nainan]

I saw the Safari in an auto magazine in college for the first time and it was love at first sight. It took 10 years for me to bring the beast home. The 2.2 l VTT was the best version of the beast and as I look back those memories come flooding of every drive I enjoyed in the 8 years I owned it. My wife still misses it and so do my nieces. The STORME just does not evoke the same feeling. HEXA did raise the hopes. I just wish the Tata brings back the magic with a new version and takes the fight to the overpriced full size SUVs in the market. Goodbye old friend keeping my fingers crossed for the new beast and please please give us a proper SUV with 4x4 spanning the range and something that is worthy if the SAFARI brand

[himanshugoswami]

Sigh! As someone who owned the venerable 3.0 Dicor and then the Storme, I shed a tear today. A tear, not for the demise of the Safari (everything has to end) but on account of the sheer frustration at TML. TML must be staffed with the greatest buffoons in Indian auto industry (Fiat employees may contest this though!).

The Safari was the ONLY vehicle in their line up that had a cult following- a cult status that many companies would die for. What do TML do with that? simply sit on their laurels and launch a half baked upgrade called Storme. The Irony is that under the skin the Storme is heavily re-engineered, but all the efforts stopped when it came to reskinning and the cabin. Still, the mighty Storme soldiered on.....

Then came a golden opportunity for Tata. Their management gave the go ahead to develop a flagship and sanctioned the budget for it. What did TML do? They picked the biggest dud in their history- the Aria- and invested on that! Even a moron could have told them that take the Storme as the base, redo it and launch it as the "new" Safari.

The Safari brand, on a competent product, would do wonders! But I guess TML boffins live in a parallel dimension.

When i recently changed my ride, I spoke to each and every contact in TML in the fervent hope that TML was launching an automatic storrme. They all said- Buy the Hexa. My response was- I dont want an effing Van (no offense to Hexa owners pls).

even today, if TML launches an AT box in the storme and mildly spruces it up, the product has potential. But alas, it aint happening.

Just hope to see a truly all new Safari by the time I'm ready to replace my XUV 500 AT.

Sigh!!

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by narayan

Excellent move by Tata Motors.

Thanks for this wonderful post which has helped cheer me up despite the sad news in the OP.

To be honest it was past time; and while the will be a few disappointed people most of us will be happier with the more modern alternatives that Tata has planned for the coming years.

Though the original Safari has a special place in my heart, I'm also sad because we've had both the Indica (V2) and Indigo in the family from 2003 until 2013. Simple, spacious, and surprisingly powerful and reliable cars in their 1.4 petrol guise as we had. Good for long drives in comfort and easy enough to drive in the city.

Thanks for all the memories, Tata. Now get down to making new ones with us.

[aamateen46]

End of an era. The Safari was the best looking SUV in its days. Imagine Tata now upgrading the Storme with the improvements from Hexa and with the exterior of the original Safari ☺️
Food for thought

Here is my beast chilling out at Lavasa!

[wangdu]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

Sigh!.. TML must be staffed with the greatest buffoons in Indian auto industry (Fiat employees may contest this though!).

The Safari was the ONLY vehicle in their line up ...The Safari brand, on a competent product, would do wonders! But I guess TML boffins live in a parallel dimension.

When i recently changed my ride, I spoke to each and every contact in TML in the fervent hope that TML was launching an automatic storrme. They all said- Buy the Hexa. My response was- I dont want an effing Van (no offense to Hexa owners pls).

Sigh!!

Really friend, what on earth has TML done and continue to ignore the safari/storme products. And this is exactly my story as well, During my 6 odd months of buying/shortlisting time frame the #1 spot was always for Safari/Storme in hope that a refresh might be launched along Hexa. The sales folks were also in a different plane pushing Hexa to a safari fan but why is it hard for them to understand that Hexa just doesn't cut it. Oh! I so wished that all the latest features of Hexa were in Safari/Storme (MT or AT) as well but it wasn't to be and I'd to relinquish any remaining hopes and went the other way.

And hope it is, that when it's time to change my car few years down the line, there's this shining black Safari or Storme with latest/greatest features there in the showroom. Hope..

[johny_desparado]

The old Safari and the TATA Sierra were the cars I dreamt off owning one day while going to school. Wish they revive the Sierra brand someday! The new safari storm looks promising but they did a huge mistake of removing that spare wheel from the rear door. It looks like an MPV now, alas!

[iamahunter]

This was going to happen some or the other day. The age old Safari (tho very awesome design) was supposed to go down and make way for its new avatar. Tata should have pulled the plug on this one when they launched the Safari Storme. Naming the Storme as the new Safari.

Hope Tata works on improving the design of the Storme before it crosses the age of the Safari.

As for suggestion, here's one from my side.. Had made this long back..

[NiInJa]

As a kid, I used to cut photos of Safari and Sierra that were printed on newspaper and magazines (used to get used car magazines from 'raddi' shop) and paste it on the walls of our bedroom. Finally, the 'original' Safari put to rest. Too bad Tata could not cash in on Safari and Sierra brands and keep them alive, today's kids wont understand what aspirational value the Safari had, nor do the elders desire to own the current Safari Storme

I remember a newspaper ad of Tata Safari having a footnote with asterisk : *'A high powered vehicle from Tata, driver's caution is advised'

Good that they removed Indica and Indigo as well, I feel they should remove the Bolt as well in the next one year. Commercial market will start tilting towards Zest because of the low price difference and bigger boot offered by Zest. They will not have one more under-performer to focus on when they bring in the Nexon.

[TSourav]

This is my first post in Team-Bhp.
Today as we are bidding farewell to the Safari, I thought this will be the perfect memorable moment to start my contribution for the team-bhp community.

The reason why I am writing this post somewhat reflects the aura that the Tata Safari had on us. It is not about how the car drove or how it handled the bad roads, not about how it looked, not really about anything automotive.

It is the about the pure humane emotions that the Safari evoked every time we used to see one pass by. Whenever I used to see one, it used to evoke a sense of freedom. Freedom from the need to look modern, freedom from the race to go faster, freedom from the clutches of the ever evolving new technologies, freedom that touched the heart and silenced the head.

The Safari never made me feel racy and competitive. Rather, it always made me pause and question about what I really want from my life.

Today in retrospection, I think TATA has done a good job in not evolving it with new techs. Even today, the Safari's gene is pristine and unadulturated, carrying the charm of the 90s, where driving skills were more of a safety feature than an option.

Tata Safari is much like the 'Doc Hudson' character of the movie, Cars. Legend in every sense of the word.

[turbospooler]

I have mixed reactions to this news!
1) I feel very happy that TML finally had the courage to discontinue this vehicle.
2) However, I feel equally sad that a proper "burial" or send-off to this legend was not given.
TML missed an opportunity to connect with the throngs of Safari lovers (for its looks, adverts etc.) by creating an emotional send-off, one that reminds the younger generation why Safari was a revered vehicle.
IMHO, Top Gear gave such amazing send-off like the one to LR Defender, an homage to British Automobile companies with the rally near Buckingham palace and others.

[Reinhard]

I grew up dreaming of owning a Dicor. Safari has always been THE DREAM. A testament to my horrible career growth I must say that it still stays a dream!!

But then - the car was practically over a long time ago. I don't think anyone was buying it at all over the last 2 years. The numbers simply didn't justify keeping the assembly line running for this long. A good product that was always wasted with poor lifecycle management by TML.

Heart aside, its a much overdue decision & I'm glad TML did it. Contrary to many people saying the legend is over I'd say the legend very much stays alive. The STORME ably carries it forward - again in pathetic market sale numbers.
I'm hoping that the next version will give a much needed revitalization to the Safari brand & gene.

RIP dear Dicor2.2VTT Long live the Safari!

[narayan]

To all those who feel nostalgic about this brand and wish they owned it - you have the more modern version "Storme" to indulge in. If you are a purist, I'm sure enough used samples of pre loved Safaris around. Live your dream. Let's not make the Safari into some relic beyond our times or reach. I personally loved the "shake" the Storme used to give at start up along with the starter motor sound. Gives you that reassurance of a large heart under the hood. Also among the only SUVs(correct me if I'm wrong ) where you could tumble forward the middle row and get a flat loading floor. I know for a fact that the Scorpio, Fortuner, Innova or even the Hexa doesn't offer this. Maybe the new Endy does but not sure though.