Tata Motors Launches Harrier, Safari Facelifts As SUV Sales Rise

Tata Motors Ltd. has launched facelifts of its flagship sports utility vehicles to take the fight to Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. in the hotly contested SUV segment.

The Harrier SUV, built on the Land Rover D8 platform, is priced at Rs 15.49 lakh onwards, while the larger, seven-seater Safari will set you back by at least Rs 16.19 lakh, India’s third-largest carmaker by sales said during a press conference on Thursday. The automatic variants of the cars start at Rs 19.99 lakh and Rs 20.69 lakh, respectively.

All prices are introductory. Bookings for the SUVs opened on Oct. 6.

Over the past few quarters, Tata Motors has ceded ground to Maruti Suzuki and M&M in the SUV space, as its models—the Nexon, Harrier and Safari—were getting older. In the meanwhile, Maruti Suzuki introduced four new SUVs—the Grand Vitara, Brezza, Fronx and Jimny. M&M launched the XUV 700 SUV and two variants of the Scorpio, and is now readying a facelift to the XUV 300.

Maruti Suzuki now commands a 22% market share in the SUV segment.

According to the latest data from industry body, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, utility vehicles accounted for more than half of all passenger vehicle sales in September, even as sales of entry-level cars slumped to nearly a fourth of overall volume. In the September quarter, domestic utility-vehicle sales rose 23% to 6.3 lakh units.

Available in seven variants, in six-speed manual and automatic transmissions, both the Harrier and Safari SUVs are powered by a locally made, two-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine, that produces 170 PS of power and 350 Nm of torque.

Unlike before, when the Harrier and Safari SUVs looked nearly identical save from the rear, Tata Motors has now differentiated the cars from the front three-quarters as well. The front fascia is now dominated by a split grille and headlight design, which are now visibly larger on the Safari. Apart from this, the Safari gets a faux skid plate in a silver finish. Both SUVs sport edge-to-edge daytime LED lights—a theme that continues at the back with wraparound taillights.

On the inside, both the SUVs get two touchscreens—one for the instrument cluster and the other for the infotainment system, powered by Harman. JBL Autoworx, with its 10 speakers and one subwoofer, takes care of the sound system. Seven airbags are standard across all variants.

The latest iterations of the Harrier and Safari have achieved the highest global NCAP score of five stars for adult and child occupant safety.