!xobile is a love it or a hate it creature. He gets lambasted for being biased. But !xobile doesn't care a damn for critics. Because he is a leader, who makes his own road.
!xobile has always had a soft and an affectionate spot for Indian engineering ingenuity. For those brilliant minds who are determined to push the limits and cross boundaries.
Same goes with the safari chronicles. Pushing the limits, and creating a new niche. A niche for what was to be India's first affordable premium SUV, full of creature comforts and a majestic design.
But, if a vehicle had to be called a premium, it had to first look premium. This was perhaps the biggest challenge for Tata engineering and locomotive company limited, or TELCO, as it was called that time. After having tasted success in trucks and LCVs br dethroning the DCM Toyota and Canter from its successful 407 from 1986 onwards, Tata decided to enter the lucarative passenger car segment, which was only then opening to the world following the policy of liberalization, privatization and globalisation in 1991, though the transition was eventually felt in 1993.
Tata did have a small light pickup truck, the 207 (2=2 tonne GVW, 07=70 horsepower, rounded off from 1948 cc 68 hp diesel engine) which was mildly successful in small business and rural areas aside in goods and load carrying markets and in areas those which did not require a hauler too big a size. Travalled extensively myself when I was a kid, especially in Uttarakhand areas like haldwani, nainital, ranikhet, almora, bageshwar, pithoragarh etc, it proved to be a reliable and a comfortable vehicle for three passengers and load. Earlier versions were called 206 which had a lower powered output of the same engine.
1991 marked a new beginning in TELCO's era when its first "personal vehicle", the Sierra was launched. Boasting of first-for-India features like power windows, adjustable steering and tacho, it looked different and unlike anything else on the road. It also had power steering, the second vehicle in India after the standard 2000 to have it. But its poor build, poor overall quality, fit, finish and finesse and moreover, its impractical 2 door design with a fixed rear window to get that blast furnace like experience in the event of hot summer severely limited its appeal. It still has its own base of fans and supporters, though.
Initially it was powered by the same 207's 68 hp ngine but since it was pathetically sluggish, a turbo motor was added late onto its lifecycle.
1993 marked another chapter in TELCO's history when it unveiled a mercdes T wagon based UV, simply called the "estate". It as too heavy, too trucky, too crude and too big and subpar on quality, fit and finish. Though it was comfortable, it bombed badly and production was stopped prematurely even before it tasted success.
It was 1994 that actually bought telco its first success in the form of the first modern MUV, the SUMO. Better than anything else that TELCO built before, it was much more comfortable and better refined and appointed as compared to its key competitor, the mahindra jeeps. But that success was short lived in 2000 when Toyota took revenge and literally ripped the sumo apart with its qualis. Rest as !xobile says, is history.
It was then Tata realized its limitations. Having everything designed in house including the dyes, body panels, engines, underpinnings, interiors etc telco's engineers realised that they simply do not have enough resources and technical know how to design and develop a modern passenger vehicle.
So this time, Tata decided to outsource the design of "project safari", while engineering work began sometime in 1995.
Transition
The project safari literally transformed Telco from inside and out. Tata engineers began to adopt new ideas, new thinking standards and new innovative policies.
The safari, in order to look proportionate, had to be first designed with proportions, and an accurate one in that. And what better way to do than to apply the use of computer in designing and later, manufacturing?
Yes, the safari was the first Indian vehicle to make extensive use of CAD (Computer aided design) and CAM (computer aided manufacturing) techniques. The safari was styled by a bunch of Tata designers with many designers from a UK design studio giving their inputs. In fact, many of the designing work was done extensively in UK benchmarking many of the top EU vehicles that time.
Not only the exterior now looked modern and proportionate, the interior was also designed entirely outside, using a combination of human hand and computer. Making extensive use of new technology called injection molding, the interiors can be given a contemporary look while at the same time, the "crudeness effect" is eliminated.
Bean counters continued to rule the roost so instead of designing an entirely new chassis, a heavily reworked version of the 207 ladder frame based chassis was used, but with a sophisticated suspension design replacing the crude leaf springs, read coil spring and torsion beams at rear, while Independent McPherson Strut was used at the front.
1996.
The auto expo was fast approaching and it was a wonderful opportunity for Tata to showcase its engineering prowess. With the show being only lacklustre at best and India dominated with a quartet of luxury sedans and a trio of econo hatchbacks, the design undoubtedly stood out in a crowd and it was unlike anything telco has ever attempted before.
A white prototype (the same vehicle photographed above) was displayed and the public got a first glimpse of the "New Telco" for the first time. Modern macho looks with well crafted interiors and full of creature comforts, the "concept safari" was given a thumbs up by the public and approved for production, with final testing and chassis validations to be carried out before its commercial launch after 23 months.
Now while the final tests continue and refinements an tweaks being made, the real acid test will start when the vehicle is ready for commercial launch and while !xobile takes a break with some evening snacks, its time for you all to chillax and reclaim your life.
Because, its time to make your own road.