Tata Motors has received advance bookings of more than 6000 units for its recently introduced, Safari Storme Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) from the Indian auto market. Speaking on the sidelines of model’s launch in Tamil Nadu, the Head of Utility Vehicle Product Group at Tata Motors, Ashesh Dhar was quoted as saying, “This comes with the new VariCor engine, offering better refinement. We have got over 6,000 bookings (since its launch).”
Till now, the model was only introduced in the Eastern and Northern auto markets of the country, and will be now offered in the Western and Southern zones of India. He further said that the Tata Motors has already employed a massive investment on the development of its iconic model at Pune production plant, and thus its latest model will not cannibalise Tata’s another SUVs like Tata Aria and previous generation Safari. Dhar said, “This will be for those who look for better refinement offering sporty performance. That is a premium SUV loaded with luxury features.”
Interestingly, Tata Motors is simultaneously offering its previous generation Safari model, which has been equipped with a DiCor engine, at a base price tag of around Rs. 8.5 lakhs. On the other hand, the new Safari Storm comes at a starting price of around Rs. 10 lakhs (ex-showroom Chennai), which makes it little heavy on the pockets of Indian buyers.
It must be noted that Tamil Nadu accounts for almost 17 per cent of the Tata’s total SUV sales, which has probably provoked the auto maker to offer its new models in the state. According to Dhar, the Tata Sumo Gold has witnessed a significant response from the state, since its launch in Tamil Nadu in 2012. He further added, “Sumo Gold has been very well received (in the market). It has surpassed sales of double its volumes since its launch.”
