[Asish_VK]

What wrong with using Safari badge ?
If the product is good and the name creates enough buzz, I don't think of any issue here.

The non enthusiastic people wouldn't have noticed the new car 'Gravitas' as much as a new Safari.

Even though, late in changing the name, Tata didn't do anything bad here IMHO. Also 4x4 is not a must to have for selling a Safari.

[varman742]

I think Tata has achieved what it wanted to with this name change i.e. get enough attention to Gravitas. Without the name change, this thread would have not have had so many views and posts. That's exactly the marketing strategy behind this move. Whether new safari succeds or not is a different story but atleast it has more chances than Gravitas. The safari brand name is a crowd puller and will surely increase the showroom visits if not sales.

Also, new safari has all the right ingredients to be a flagship 7 seater. Be it a last moment decision, how does it matter? I mean would it have made any difference if they had announced Gravitas as Safari 2 years back but still delivered the same product as they are planning?

Excellent marketing move to increase the chances of making Gravitas a successful product.

[landcruiser123]

Masterstroke by Tata IMHO. I seriously doubt that there are any other larger SUVs in the pipeline, so a genius move to use the Safari name and leverage the emotional connection to sell the car.

Some purists might not be happy, but this will be just what the doctor ordered for a premium SUV based on an LR platform and loaded with features.

[Nilesh5417]

Somehow the discussion seems to be mixing the 7 seater cred with the Safari badge a bit too much. The Safari was never known for its ability to seat 7 in comfort - not to someone like me who never owned one but wished he had. It was to me a rugged, go anywhere vehicle. Tata seems to have a task on their hands to market the new one on the right creds. Too much focus on the 7 seater Harrier in the past which clearly isn't the USP the new badge should be selling.
Nevertheless, this is a great move by Tata cause visual cues do resemble Safari. Hope the front end is made to look butch!
And reliability wise, I hope it isn't anywhere like some of the new JLR cars that seems to be getting flak globally. Better stay away from too.mucb JLR pedigree in the ads.

[Behemoth]

I for one feel that the Safari badge has much better brand value than the Gravitas and will bode better with the masses. However, the Safari was always pitched as a common man's SUV (in the same range as the Scorpio from Mahindra) and if Tata wants to really pitch this as the Safari, they need to price it very aggressively and if possible, below the Harrier. I know this may sound unviable, but the correct positioning of the product is vital for the success of the new "Safari". If Tata wants good volumes from this car, they need to start off at 12.99 (Petrol) and maybe go till 15.99 lacs for the highest 4x2 Diesel variant with Auto transmission. In future, they should also launch with a 4x4 variant at 16.99 lacs and maybe a 4x4 Auto at 17.99 lacs. That would be the right price point for this product to make a sensible impact on the segment.
The Harrier would then get sidestepped, but they could position the Harrier differently, more as a premium lifestyle vehicle and with more upmarket interiors compared to the Safari (eg Leather seats, bigger touchscreen, sunroof etc) while the Safari will be the mass market offering with more space and 7 seater, but fabric seats, Simpler interface and MID, no sunroof and more functional interiors. This sort of approach may work well for both cars. Also, as the space of the Hexa as a comfortable 7 seater with 4x4 has been vacated, it could easily be filled by the new Safari.
Anyway, these are just my two cents on the Safari positioning and Tata should take its own call in a few days.
Given the outstanding response that Mahindra has got with its Thar and even the response that Nissan has got with Magnite and many others before it like Sonet, it goes to show the Cars pitched at the right price point and offering a wide range of engine and Gerbox options and spanning a wide price bands will work wonders for sales and will bring customer footfalls and ring up registers and even have long waiting lines!

[trek]

If your 'new' product looks like an old one, people will still call it by the same name.

If the front looks exactly like the Harrier, people are going to mistake it for one and keep calling it as one.

This is clearly a last minute strategy change and a fire fighting exercise in the face of tough competition, current and upcoming.

The least they can do to ensure reasonable success for the Safari legacy is to offer a modified front look so that it does not pass off as Harrier plus!

The Safari brand is much more than an additional 3rd row of seats!

[db DrivE]

It is a good move by TATA.
Safari was not selling well.
General public relate to safari from the initial years more than the later years of its reign.
Calling it just safari instead of anything else will definitely bring some sales numbers.
It keeps the public engaged the way the members of this forum are engaged.

And coming to the vehicle, it is not a bad product by any means.
Target the selling price just above the harrier by a lakh, it gets close to innova and that is where the competition begins.
If the drive is as good as a harrier (I am assuming it is) and the interiors speak about space and comfort, along with all the modern gizmos, it definitely makes its feet strong in the competition.

4x4 should not be an issue as general public do not really care much about it and they form the majority sales.
The enthusiastic lot can wait for it to be introduced in the later months.

With features in the XUV500, yes that car seems ahead in the league. But that is a good sign. Such are the things that make competition healthier.
Assuming that launches half year later, we could expect a facelift next year from Tata, just like how it did with the harrier.
To be fair, we should be comparing the new Safari with the XUV 500 available in the market at the time of its launch.

[Thilak29]

Originally Posted by needmorebhp

Buzzard/Cassini/Harrier/Gravitas/H5X/H7X/Safari

We enthusiasts carry this burden of knowing too much. For the mass number of people this story will be seen as resurrection of good old Safari.
Agree that Tata should have referred it with a unique code name until christening it.

[PrasannaDhana]

If Gravitas/2021 Safari came just before the Harrier, people(enthusiast/non enthusiast alike) would have loved the Gravitas and no one would have cribbed about the FWD or the absence of AWD/4WD.

It was the mistake of Harrier getting launched as a halo product of Tata. Though it had many niggles during the first iteration and missed out on AT box, people loved it and the second iteration did become pretty respected among the public. Moreover it looked fabulous and had an inherent desirability towards it.

We are mostly disappointed because the Safari nameplate is being used on a car that essentially is the Harrier+ .

The whole dynamic of Gravitas' reception amongst the purists would have been totally different if Gravitas came first, followed by the Harrier later.

[fiat_tarun]

I think this a great move to utilise the Safari brand recall and emotional connect. The very fact that it has received so much coverage and discussion proves this fact !

We can crib all we want on online forums that there is no 4x4, etc. but the market for 4x4's is too small for OEM's to invest in. If Mahindra introduces a 4x2 variant of the Thar, I think most bookings will move to that variant for the lower price !

[shancz]

Digressing from my earlier post a bit. Although personally I would have still preferred a dedicated new Safari but here are a few practical observations.

• The Buyers : definitely not me at this point in life but I remember a friend's dad was bowled over by the Safari(first gen) but didn't have the money. Now he has retired and is looking to buy a "SUV" to fulfill his dreams which he couldn't while working and experience the comfort since he travels more on the highways now. I can imagine his eyes lighting up when he hears that the Safari is back
  
• The Market : with the sales numbers of MSUVs to go by, the market is willing to put money down for such a vehicle. Sales aren't just decided by enthusiasts and emotions but people who are willing to put the money and practicality.
  
• The Status : already mentioned in this thread but with SUVs the status matters in our country. Names like the Scorpio and Safari already have the status and connection in the potential buyer's minds. This is a big advantage in sales.

Again, would be interesting to see how the sales pan out.
Very intresting and names apart seems like an excellent vehicle.

[vigneshkumar31]

I think the enthusiasts, fans and prospective buyers alike wish for only one thing from the All New Tata Safari...

Adequate differentiation from the smaller sibling.

The rear anyway is new but the front if could ve been made starkly unique to the new Safari might ve helped calm those who see this as a Harrier +

[anshu1101]

A Safari with no 4X4? This definitely dilutes the iconic badge. Tata should have provided it at least as an option.

I have always felt that the Harrier was an excellent all-rounder, a 4WD option would have made it all the more appealing for people who tour a lot - especially to offbeat places where at times the roads are non-existent or are slushy, and having a 4WD in such instances is a blessing. Same would apply to the Safari too!

Tata, I hope you are listening!

[Eshan Joshi]

The Safari is a legend of the Indian car scene. A mighty 4x4 that was flawed .Never was a ideal car for a family. My grandfather canceled his booking for the Safari in the 90's for this reason. My Father also decided no to buy one in 2010 for the same reason. But people bought the Safari for it's name. .A name with a legacy.

So in the past few posts I have seen people telling Safari fans to calm down. I'm sorry but why should they calm down. They are just seeing there big meaty off roader come back as a family SUV. Clearly not nice.

That's just like Mercedes killing the G Class and renaming the GLS as the new G Class. The only thing they would get in return is a angry fan base willing to burn down the houses of the Mercedes executives .

If they really wanted to bring back the Safari , they could have gone to Land Rover and borrowed the new Defender , a SUV that looks like a modern Safari. Made it a bit less luxurious and priced it at 25 - 30 lacs as a Halo product.

Or they could do a easier thing. Just not revive the Safari name .

I understand that they are naming it as the Safari for sales. But they are just ruining the legacy of the Safari.

They should honestly let the Safari rest in peace.

That's all.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Safari had 4*4, but who used it as a pure offroader? Wasn't that territory confined to the Mahindra 'jeeps' and Maruti Gypsy alone.

I have very rarely seen Safari in the VX 4*4 variant - and having tried OLX many a times looking for one, I'm pretty sure a majority of cars out there are EX 4*2. Even on our enthusiast forum, the majority of ownership reports seem to be 4*2 variants.

Safari was legendary, not for the offroad prowess alone - but for the 'king of the road' road presence. As a little kid - it used to call it a vehicle of dons - such was its road presence, unrivalled till the Fortuner and Endeavour came along much later.

Don't think the Gravitas/new Safari loses out much there - except that we really have a lot of big imposing SUVs in the market these days - from Fortuner to Gloster and Hector Plus, that the new Safari may not really stand out as before.