[Sheel]

That Safari appears as the 2.2 VTT, the first batch of it. The current batches have 2.2 VTT stamped in chrome just under the indicators in the front fender.

This one has it in the last fender, near the C-pillar. And no where it appears as new. Some TRP hungry website's imagination is all I can say.

[Maverick79]

Originally Posted by Sheel

That Safari appears as the 2.2 VTT, the first batch of it. The current batches have 2.2 VTT stamped in chrome just under the indicators in the front fender.

This one has it in the last fender, near the C-pillar. And no where it appears as new. Some TRP hungry website's imagination is all I can say.

+1.
The Temp registration also shows MH12, while it has to be MH14 as all of the registrations of Tata motors test vehicles are done in Pimpri only. AFAIK.

[r0ckstar.1]

Originally Posted by kailashnj

bookings are open and all dealers are booking cars. I was approched by Concorde motors mumbai for booking too.

Current booking amount is 51K with 100% refund policy

I happen to pass concorde motors today and stopped-by to check on the status on storme. The sales guy said that the vehicle is arriving soon and he will be able to give more details early next week. He confirmed the launch here in bangalore on 17th . They are not accepting any booking as of now.

Just incase you are interested in Aria, this is the time to buy. some really good offers being given by TML.

[ambylover]

Even though now this is too late to discuss these points, but just let me raise some of my observations with regard to the new Safari

1. PRIMA series of trucks launched by TM are very successful in their segment. They are also equally very good to look at, almost at par with the established offerings from international brands. A visit to their website boasts of the cab being designed by an Italian coachbuilder/design house. Hence the balanced / appealing front end is because of the Italian influence. NOW presuming that Safari is at the top of product chain for the passenger car division of TM, why was something similar to above not contemplated for safari, only for the exterior keeping the overall proportion similar. This would have been a small job as it was not a new concept but work (evolutionary up gradation) on an existing design theme (iconic in the desi market). Looks matter a lot and especially those which do not need to grow but are outright eye candy, more importantly as this upgrade is so late and the quantum of improvements embedded are hard to detect by the mango junta. Remember 1st generation Indica design theme was developed by an Italian design house and later on successively messed up by our desi talent, again to revert back to the original clean lines and proportion in the eV2 avatar.

2. This has been discussed earlier but it is hard to digest that Manza will be upgraded by an infotainment system (touch and all) and other feel good improvements. So in TM one product group team was working on this update for their model (Manza) and the other team handling Safari had probably no clue about the same being developed or thought upon. OK this was available in Aria but somehow when this is thought upon for Manza then why not for Safari. Similar could be for the absence of ACC in the Storme but now to be incorporated in Manza. And since these upgrades do not happen overnight therefore these would have been in pipeline for at least a year. So finally why the UV team did not see these getting into the Car division?

Both above points depict a degree of disconnect in the TM camp, between them-selves (product groups) and also with the market (desirable front looks).

Let me put forth some soft / intangibles for comparison, one is buzz (frenzy to get attention) and the other is X-factor (sort of ueber cool). Now between Storme and XUV I believe MnM was able to generate a lot of buzz around its offering at launch and then finally stomp ahead with great pricing. In case of TM the image of Safari has a lot of X-factor; this should be leveraged by the marketing of TM to grab attention.

Ideas to reinforce X-factor could be-

In at least top 30 dealerships around the country display fully loaded off-road gear variant (the one displayed at auto-expo) to draw attention and bring in crowds.

Bring in some captivating adverts similar to which we still ogle on YouTube.

TM should at least use this launch to pull back those who have left looking at the TM showroom for a long time – the young upwardly mobile masses in big cities. In my circle it is sacrilege to suggest any first time car buyer with a Tata option, except for Safari if he is a bit ‘different from the masses type’. In the old days when vision was grand, product execution was poor but now when the latter has improved the vision is not so grand, why?

So finally looking at what positives it has and what more it can do is, primarily the classic SUV shape is still retained with those magical sofas inside and the drivers commanding front view. In addition to this the option of proper 4X4 is a major positive.

For all the above positives to be fruitful it has to be priced attractively, almost an initial shocking price to make any sense and also bring in a bare bones 4X4 variant at an affordable level and not restrict it to the top line variant only. This is because the young upwardly mobile that I was referring to above, who has traveled abroad and who is now buying a life style vehicle like Duster or XUV will give weight-age to the proper 4X4 in a classic SUV shell but at reasonable price, otherwise the bells and whistles are irresistible in the XUV.

All this is again after attaining the basic hygiene of manufacturing, that is a niggle free product offering.

Very recently took a reasonably long test drive of XUV and after the drive it felt that MnM has taken a giant leap with this, really commendable for a desi UV maker but what it lacks is that elusive factor which will make a teenager put a poster of it in his room or even still today when the heads turn for a descent Safari.

So Tata Motors all is not lost, and since you have played safe with this therefore this should click, and hopefully all my criticism above are proved wrong.

[Aceman82]

I am very sure if just the nostalgia factor would suffice to sell the Storme in any big numbers without Tata giving some kind of a killer deal since Tata cars are perceived to be extremely unreliable and has terrible resale values (at-least down south) .

Speaking purely from a Tata car owner perspective (i own a Jan 2006 Indica DLS) , my vehicle till it was in extended warranty was reasonably cheap to maintain (a lot of things went kaput like Power steering pump, Clutch, the fuel pump (tvs make) kept leaking fuel every 5000 kms , lot of belts failed..etc) since everything was replaced under extended warranty. Once the extended warranty got over my service bills were shooting up with 10K, 15K , 12K within a year and in the bill the lion share (approx 60% to 70%) was labor. When i asked my RM (Concorde Chennai) why i am get getting such high bills , his reply was "Sir Tata cars are not very reliable after some time, better change the car since the warranty is over".

Thankfully since Indica is popular amount taxi crowds and i keep getting it serviced from a local mechanic (still a lot of things still keeps failing every now and then but the the labor cost is negligible and there is no VAT on labor being charged ) and hence i would be able to keep the car for another year or so.

My point is that i am looking for next car and the XUV500 strongly in my sights and Safari is no where close irrespective of Safari being my dream vehicle. This would probably be true for most of Tata owners. Hence if i would need to look at the Strome I would need a killer pricing (since there is no killer features Vis a-vis the XUV500) and if not, it would be tough sell.

[Holyghost]

I see a lot of excitement in this thread. Being a Safari owner for the last 5 years, I am not too much excited about another Tata product. Is it just me or other Safari owners too share the same feeling? One thing I noticed among my friends is that, anyone who dont own a Tata car, Safari is still a dream vehicle and they do not care about TASS. I realised that 5 years ago I too was in same league.
But after owning a Safari, all the niggles & TASS experience has spoiled all the excitement. How many existing Tata vehicle owners who have a share of experience of a Tata vehicle & TASS can still vouch for this new product?

[manolin]

Originally Posted by ambylover

In at least top 30 dealerships around the country display fully loaded off-road gear variant (the one displayed at auto-expo) to draw attention and bring in crowds.

Honestly, they should launch the Auto Expo version as an paid upgrade, or offer the accessories (like that bumper, aux lights) from day 1. At least then they can base the advertisements on that model. And that model looks light years ahead of the crowd (XUV, scorpio, aria) the present safari), and looks like the classic boxy pajero/landcruiser looks of old.



They are missing a big trick by not using such design potential. In the tornado print ad which was posted earlier, if the Auto Expo version was used, it would look so much better than the plain jane car.

Ed: that snorkel looks like a python-cobra combo. Awesome!

[TheARUN]

I own a SAFARI too, and literally can't sleep till Wednesday when the STORME arrives. I think it's a matter of expectations and those expectations not being met that is bugging TATA Products. Today, my relative borrowed the SAFARI for some People lugging, his INNOVA Driver took the vehicle, and came back full of complaints! He was giving me all sorts of negative feedback about my SAFARI, I heard through one ear and left through the other ear :-)

It's a vehicle that you buy and own with your heart.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by Holyghost

But after owning a Safari, all the niggles & TASS experience has spoiled all the excitement. How many existing Tata vehicle owners who have a share of experience of a Tata vehicle & TASS can still vouch for this new product?

You are certainly not alone. Look at Tanveer (tsk_1979) for example, who has posted the best pics of the Safari during his mountain travels (he at Leh as we speak) and yet does not seem interested in the Storme precisely due to the issues you have mentioned.
There are many such people on the forum and elsewhere which is why it is extremely important for Tata Motors to get it right, the first time, with the Storme.

Let us wait and watch.

[condor]

Was looking at the 4x4 spec-ed pic just above in this page. I feel that one of the reasons this one is looking good is that the grille has got over-shadowed by the bumper & the accessories.

Will the kit-manufacturing companies come out with a decent looking bumper for this ?

[quadra]

Here is a tweet from their official twitter channel,""@tata_safari: #TataSafari DiCOR, 3-litre DiCOR diesel engine,with improved interiors & exteriors. F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan is the speaker at launch." 17th oct is the D-Day.

[rrsteer]

3 litre dicor? either thats an all new engine or even their tweets lack QC

[sachinayak]

Their earlier tweet was

A new car, known as #TataSafari, is launched by Tata Motors. This SUV, India’s first, comes with a 2.0 litre turbo I4 Diesel engine.

Now

Originally Posted by quadra

#TataSafari DiCOR, 3-litre DiCOR diesel engine,with improved interiors & exteriors. F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan is the speaker at launch."

Guess the official twitter channel seems to indicate the historical progress of the Safari. Probably should have added timelines to avoid confusion.

[Aceman82]

The Storme seems to be on Display in Italy with full black interiors. Looks much better than our Beige one. Note that the language is in Italian.

http://www.motorionline.com/2012/10/...no/?refresh_ce

[NMS]

Originally Posted by Aceman82

The Storme seems to be on Display in Italy with full black interiors. Looks much better than our Beige one. Note that the language is in Italian.

http://www.motorionline.com/2012/10/...no/?refresh_ce

Indeed Aceman,

The Italian version definitely looks very very neat. However, hasnt there always been a difference with the export models and the ones that are sold in India? Believe there is always some difference in the aesthetics of the car if not the mechanics.

Plus, this too seems to come with a single din music system. Don't think Tata will make any change to that in India as well :(

Eagerly awaiting the pricing details of the Storme !!