Tata Motors has officially announced that the brand will be bringing back the iconic Safari moniker with its forthcoming SUV which was codenamed Gravitas. The all-new Tata Safari will become the brand’s new flagship SUV, upon launch. The brand has also announced that the new Tata Safari will be revealed shortly, and will arrive in Tata dealerships in the month of January. The pre-launch bookings for the new Tata Safari will also commence soon.
The Tata Safari was introduced to the Indian market over two decades ago and was essentially one of the first lifestyle SUVs in the country. It can be said that the car was pioneers of the segment in the Indian market. The new 2021 Safari has to bear the weight of the largely popular moniker and stand up to the benchmark set by the original Safari in India. Therefore, the brand has revealed that the new Tata Safari which was revealed at the Auto Expo 2020 as the Tata Gravitas will be based on the tried and tested OMEGARC (Optimised Modular Efficient Global Advanced Architecture) platform derived from the Land Rover D8 platform which also underpins the Tata Harrier SUV. Furthermore, the company also revealed that the modular platform is capable of accommodating four-wheel drivetrain as well as electrification, hinting that a 4×4 model with a mild-hybrid powertrain could be made available on the new Safari.
As of now, the powertrain details of the Tata Safari are scarce, but it is speculated to use the same BS6 upgraded powertrain that does duty on the Tata Harrier. The Tata Harrier comes with a 2.0-litre Kryotec four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that produces 170 PS of power and 350 Nm of torque matched to a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic gearbox. The engine is expected to be tweaked to produce more power on the Safari.
The new Tata Safari is also expected to come with features such as connected technology, which is not only useful for day-to-day commutes but also on family getaways. Apart from the connected technologies, the SUV is expected to get plush interiors with large touchscreen infotainment, semi-digital instruments, multi-zone climate control air conditioning, control mounted steering, but the ultimate selling point of the new SUV is extra of seats.
The new Tata Safari which was revealed as the Gravitas during the biennial event in Delhi came with 7-seats. Though the Safari is based on the same platform as the Harrier and receives similar Impact 2.0 design language, the rear overhang and the roof of the car from the C-pillar has been changed to accommodate the third-row passengers.
More details on the 2021 Tata Safari will be revealed soon.
