[directinjection]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

I dont know - the new Tata designs all look rather funny. It started with the stuff they started doing to the Safari to make the 2.2 look different (radically redesigned spare wheel cover!) and went overboard on the misshapen Sumo Grande that ended up looking like a really ugly Sumo wrestler. Then came the 'New' Indica which ends up looking like an overweight Indica on the roads, and now this thing.Perhaps they're overloading the chap who designed the Ace and the Nano - its beginning to show.

Tata seem to have spread their designers too wide and may be that's why this is happening. Or may be Ratan Tata is now too busy to look at the designs. When Indica was being created in late nineties, Ratan Tata used to pay regular visits to IDEA's design studio for a first hand look at the designs. His involvement was quite personal and he himself got many changes incorporated.

Perhaps Tata should now create (or buy) a full-fledged auto-styling studio of their own to ensure some basic design philosophy.

Tata designers:

1. Vista: Its design is now attributed to an ex-IDEA guy who set up his own design studio. His name finds mention in Autocar India's Vista cover story. However, the services of IDEA too were utilised, probably in the begining, since a 2004 Hindu report quoted Ratan Tata as saying that IDEA has done the designing. May be IDEA's fee was too high and so Tatas poached the main designer!
2. Sumo Grande: Concept Group, UK. They also designed the Xenon pick-up which, to be fair, looks absolutely good.
3. Nano: IDEA. Girish Wagh and his team created the basic structure but the styling was done by IDEA.
4. X-over: IDEA.
5. World Truck: Stile Bertone

Business Today ran a nice story on Nano designing:

Tata 'NANO' - The People's Car from Tata Motors

[shortbread]

Well considering the competition in segments they are in, Tata has decent looking vehicles. Now the X over is a people carrying van and as far as such vans go i think its decent looking. MPVs are not known for their looks anyways. These are big slab sided things and there is not much to do to make this look like an italian exotic.

I think the biggest problem is everyone expected the X over to be the next Safari and it clearly isn't. This is a totally different model aiming for totally different clientele.

[directinjection]

This thread was started in January '08 and I'm surprised its erroneous and misleading title still hasn't been changed. Everyone knows this thread is about X-over, not Safari 2010.

Mods kindly do the needful.

[shortbread]

True,

This is no ways a Safari replacement.

How odd and disappointing would it be if the Ingenio was called the Scorpio replacement and M&M reveal a people carrier instead!!!!

[shortbread]

Found this pic on the net (has this been shown before?), from the spy pics this looks very much the finished product, looks nice and big.

Wasn't sure about pasting pics from other sites, therefore heres the link,

http://ic.maxabout.com/cars/tata/ind..._Crossover.jpg

Maybe who knows this might be out before the Ingenio.

[chaxy]

Originally Posted by shortbread

Found this pic on the net (has this been shown before?), from the spy pics this looks very much the finished product, looks nice and big.

Wasn't sure about pasting pics from other sites, therefore heres the link,

http://ic.maxabout.com/cars/tata/ind..._Crossover.jpg

Maybe who knows this might be out before the Ingenio.

That picture IMO is from ACI Magazine. It looks like an oversized Vista.

[Stig]

Read today in Economic times that Tata will be launching a Cross-Over this November to compete against Innova. It will be based on Indica paltform.

[shortbread]

If the ET report is true then this will be out before the Ingenio. Its strange that despite nearing the last legs of the develpment cycle there is not much information thats leaked out.

[throttleking]

Guys, last weekend i drove to Mahabaleshwar, on my way near nasarapur i saw about 8-10 vehicles doing a road test. In a first glance i recognized it as M&M Inginio / Xylo but later i noticed that couple of Indica Vistas escorting the scoop. But then i ignored it and moved on.

While coming back i notices the same fleet of test vehicles stranded on Bangalore highway before chandani chowk, appearently they had an bumper to bumper accident there, again due to trafic jam i could not click any pics, however this time i noticed 2 Safaris and 2 Vistas escorting the scoop.

So in a nutshell i dont have pics of the scoop (dont punish me for this ), however if i have to describe the vehicle, those were all covered, looks more like a Innova yet bigger than Innova, and exactly like a scoops of Xylo we have seen in other threads, and also looked like Safari scoop which we have seen in 2010 Safari thread.

Guys any idea about this? please share the information. Meanwhile i would make some rounds of highway on this weekend to get the pictures if i am lucky.

Mods:- sorry to increase your workload, but i was not sure if i should add this topic in any other thread. Please merge if required.

[directinjection]

Originally Posted by throttleking

Guys any idea about this? please share the information.

Exactly what is it that you want to know?

Is this what you saw?:

IAB Exclusive! Tata Indicruz Crossover a.k.a Tata Xover spy shots | Indian Autos blog

If so (as you seem to suggest), it's the Xover or the Indicruz that was intended to be launched in early 2009:

Beyond Nano: Tatas to roll out Xenon, Indicruz- Automobiles-Auto-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

[swale84]

You probably saw the Crossover. Also wrongly called the 2010 Safari. I think there is one, if not a couple of threads on the forum about this vehicle.

Edit: Here are two of them

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ata-xover.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-but-true.html

[throttleking]

Directinjection, swale,

yes it looks like i have seen Xover. I am hoping that it is not Safari, its more like MUV and Safari getting a MUV look would not do a justice.

[swale84]

Nope, its not the Safari - If you saw it with the Safari near around it, you would see that this is much longer - hence obviously on a different platform.

[sukrit7]

Early 2009?
any confirmations, more news etc.

[sidindica]

link:http://www.worldcarfans.com/9090121....ruz-spy-photos

Spies have recently caught what is beleived to be the Tata Safari, or possibly the new Indicruz MPV in the most uncovered shots to date. Photographed during a fuel stop with a team of British engineers, the Indian company's MPV/SUV is being tested before release as a second-generation.

Tata's Safari is India's first locally produced SUV. Spy shots show off the vehicle's rounded off front, which makes it look a bit more like an MPV, leading to speculation it's the new Indicruz MPV model (aka Xover concept), however it's raised ride height puts it in SUV league in our estimation.
Tata will hopefully lighten the weight of the next-gen Safari, which comes to a massive 2115 kg (4663 lbs). Adding all-wheel-drive also increases the weight by 110 kg (243 lbs). The company is trying to address the fact that their heavy beast is woefully underpowered. A new 3.0-liter turbo diesel Direct Injection Common Rail engine produces 116 PS and 300 Nm of torque. We would hope the next gen gets even more power as well.

If you have never heard of Tata Motors before, perhaps you know them as the new owners of Jaguar-Land Rover. The two divisions were sold to the Indian company last March. Tata Motors also made waves in 2008 with the Tata Nano, a tiny four-person car priced just as small at $2,500.

There is no word yet on a release date for the new Tata Safari. The current model ranges in price from $16,360 to $28,480.