Second half of 2010 will see the launch of Tata Aria

India’s home grown Crossover Utility vehicle, the Tata Aria will be on sale from the second half of 2010. Aria stands as a humongous structure and like the Nano, was launched at the Auto Expo with the start of sales coming later in the year. All the people who buy the Endeavour and Fortuner rarely taken them off-road, the main purpose for which these vehicles are meant. Those chasing looks will find their best match in the Aria. It is imposing and is quite certain to command some respect and does this job reasonably well but it cannot be ultimately compared to the Fortuner which is a class apart. What is the Aria then?

What the Aria is then, is a sort of niche product. It is a comfortable 7 seat MPV, a crossover that can handle the occasional not so difficult off-road stuff quite well with its all wheel drive and it even tries to be a luxury car. Its Tata’s flagship and a great one at that. The Aria will come with lots of kit to justify its speculated Rs 12-13 lakh price tag. The 2.2L DICOR promises 140bhp of power and 320Nm of torque to haul this massive vehicle. Tata is planning a 2 wheel drive variant for the lower trim levels with 4 wheel drive on the top end model. We are not quite sure which model will make it to the market first.

Tata Aria will come with lots of kit and its Land Rover inspired interiors are a class apart. They are simple and while the overall design resembles that found on older Land Rovers, look closely and you can spot Tata’s trademark bits like the air-con knobs and other switches. The C-pillar integrated air-con vents for 3rd row passengers were great. According to Tata Motors, “Tata Aria’s unique design and construction makes it robust, elegant and comfortable”. The interiors, with three rows of theatre style seating, present a luxurious world of premium features comprising 3D surround sound, dimming roof lamps, in-dash built in GPS, a state-of-the-art infotainment system, multifunctional steering wheel, dual air conditioning with automatic climate control and cruise control. Top-of-the-line safety features include 6 airbags, ABS and ESP, offered by an Indian carmaker for the first time.

Tata had to compromise on the chassis of the Aria. Originally it was meant to be a monocoque but Tata went for a conventional body-on-frame as this meant that the vehicle could go on sale much earlier and hence save a lot of development time. Tata opted to use advanced hydro-formed members, a stiffened body cage, and dual zone collapsible steering to make the Aria safe.

Well placed sources say that a strong team of 150 engineers worked on the Aria for the last three years. Tata’s UK R&D centre actually designed the structure for the Nano has also made huge contributions to the Aria which is mainly aimed at Europe.

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