[akhilesh51]

IMHO, Xover is going to be a premium segment car in range above that of Safari and will have no linkage whatesover with Safari.

Similarly priced above safari would place this vehicle well above Xylo as competiotn and even Innova will only be a competitor only in lower models.

Anyways, as has already been mentioned Sumo Grande is already pitched against Xylo and Innova. It may be a weak candidate but Tata will be more interested in working on Grande' negatives rather than pitching a new model thereby phasing out a car which has been in market for less than a year.

That leaves this car to generate a new segment, of sorts, as a Luxury MPV/MUV rather than a SUV like safari or soft roaders like CRV/Captiva.

How much of a success this strategy could turn out for Tata will be difficult to guess. There has been lot going into R&D and fit/finish of the vehicle but price tags around 12-15 lacs (IMO) could backfire miserably.

I am betting on a positive outcome...at least I hope so!

[djavalkar]

Hi All,
Read the news in one of the papers when Mr Ratan Tata mentioned that the "new" Tata Safari is going to be launched somewhere in Dec 2009.

The Crossover/XOver/Indicruz is not what I am referring to.

Does anyone have any ideas as what is expected in this version of Safari ? A friend of mine who works in TATA mentioned that it is going to have a dual flywheel and a all new gear box (probably a direct lift from the Crossover/XOver/Indicruz ). Not sure if the looks and the interiors have changed drastically. I hope they work on the braking of the vehicle which really needs attention.

Is the date for the proposed launch still the same ?

Keep the thoughts flowing !!!

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by djavalkar

Hi All,
Read the news in one of the papers when Mr Ratan Tata mentioned that the "new" Tata Safari is going to be launched somewhere in Dec 2009.

Usually spy pictures appear a few months before launch since they have to test the vehicle in real world conditions in different climatic conditions etc.

We have pretty much seen spy-shots of most new models. Nothing so far of the new Tata Safari. I think for now they are focussing on the X-over launch. The Sumo Grande hasn't really taken off, so I guess they are focussing on the x-over. I will be surprised if they launch the new Safari this year.

If they do, I hope they put in front facing 3rd row seats, ingegrate the roof vents for the ac and fix the ergonomics so you can actually operate the audio in all gears. And ofcourse the quality control with the vendors and factory.

[HappyWheels]

I hope the "new" is not as per Maruti's definition of "all new" with just a new headlight and grills!!!

But yes, if there was a new product, we would have definitely seen some spy-cam shots!

[drsk]

Hope that Tatas launch the new Safari very soon. And more importantly new should be "new" and not just some make-up job. Its long overdue too since its launch in 1998.

But, as 4x4addict and HappyWheels mentioned, we have not yet seen any spy shots. Or maybe that the Tatas have kept this project under tight wraps away from any prying eyes and spring a surprise!

[drsk]

I just happened to see this Safari stunt and thought it might interest Safari lovers here.

YouTube - stunt wid safari

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by drsk

I just happened to see this Safari stunt and thought it might interest Safari lovers here.

YouTube - stunt wid safari

Nice video,

Just check one more video showing a 2 ltr Safari showing its off-roading capabilities.

TATA SAFARI 1 G (XTREAM) too gud

cool

[theragingbull]

Sources say that the new "World SUV" that Tata Motors has proposed to launch is likely to come in some time next year. This one will be based on the crossover platform that was showcased at Geneva 2005. It has been three years since Tata Motors has been working on this project.
A team of about 100-140 engineers in Tata Motors’ UK centre has been working on this. This product is likely to come out soon, and may even replace Tata Safari. Also, this product has been undergoing some validations and the prototypes are being validated under different testing conditions and have already undergone winter testing in Sweden this January, say sources.
So, a big-bang launch as far as Tata Motors SUV is concerned. We can hope that they will launch some time next year — the World SUV, as it may call it. After the World Car and the World Truck, this may well be the turn for a World SUV.

Source: Tata Motors to launch World SUV next year

[vinaydas]

tata following in mahindra's foot steps.Another innova alternative,As tata knows that's where the money is.World SUV.. umm i dont think any body will pay anything above 15-16 lacs for Tata or even Mahindra for the matter of fact.
+ to add to the fact the pathetic reliability of its "SUV". People will still probably associate tata with people mover brand instead of a luxury Brand.

[.anshuman]

I am surprised to know they test their cars in sweden,still they are known for their defective cars.

[amtak]

Originally Posted by vinaydas

tata following in mahindra's foot steps.Another innova alternative,As tata knows that's where the money is.World SUV.. umm i dont think any body will pay anything above 15-16 lacs for Tata or even Mahindra for the matter of fact.
+ to add to the fact the pathetic reliability of its "SUV". People will still probably associate tata with people mover brand instead of a luxury Brand.

How difficult it is to switch badges? What if they put a Land Rover badge on it? Think about it!

[vinaydas]

Originally Posted by amtak

How difficult it is to switch badges? What if they put a Land Rover badge on it? Think about it!

dint they have that agreement during the contract which tata cannot reveal any of the company secrets or use it for another company or something like that .I don't know the exact details.
i dont think swapping a badge will be that easy. A huge law suite will probably follow.

[himanshugoswami]

Originally Posted by vinaydas

dint they have that agreement during the contract which tata cannot reveal any of the company secrets or use it for another company or something like that .I don't know the exact details.
i dont think swapping a badge will be that easy. A huge law suite will probably follow.

Highly unlikely. Tata owns JLR outright. This clause can only be applicable to a limited extent to any Ford proprietary IPR that JLR may have.

umm....who will sue? JLR? well, it is owned by TM so I dont see TM suing itself, do you?

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

Highly unlikely. Tata owns JLR outright. This clause can only be applicable to a limited extent to any Ford proprietary IPR that JLR may have.

umm....who will sue? JLR? well, it is owned by TM so I dont see TM suing itself, do you?

I agree with himanshu. The restrictions if any will be for the current technologies/components that are patented or owned by Ford. I recall when Ford bought the Land Rover group from BMW a couple of years back, the Range Rover used to come for a couple of years with the BMW 4.4 liter V8. However, Ford had to pay Royalties for this engine afer a certain period so they replaced it with the Jaguar V8 which was also owned by Ford. Tata will eventually have to find their own replacement or pay Royalty for any Ford supplied components.

[lalith_ka]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

I agree with himanshu. The restrictions if any will be for the current technologies/components that are patented or owned by Ford. I recall when Ford bought the Land Rover group from BMW a couple of years back, the Range Rover used to come for a couple of years with the BMW 4.4 liter V8. However, Ford had to pay Royalties for this engine afer a certain period so they replaced it with the Jaguar V8 which was also owned by Ford. Tata will eventually have to find their own replacement or pay Royalty for any Ford supplied components.

Now with enhanced partnership with FIAT, I won't be surprised if Tata sources engines from FIAT/Ferrari to plonk them into JLR to avoid all royalty related issues. My two cents!