Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Tata Motors new Aria may sell in short term only
Tata Motors has now rolled out three variants of its crossover SUV, the Aria, pruning the price but this is unlikely to create a cheer as there may be a favourable response, leading to a sales surge only in the short term.
The Aria 4x2’s price will begin from Rs 11.61 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The Pleasure and Prestige variants of the new Aria will come for Rs 12.61 lakh and Rs 14.26 lakh. The Aria range is being made available in 85 cities via 150 showrooms across the country.
“With the Tata Aria 4x2, we have now made the range comprehensive. The Aria 4x2 has been rolled out in three trim levels — the Aria Prestige at the top-end, the Aria Pleasure and the Aria Pure at the lower-end,” Tata Motors managing director Indian operations PM Telang informed.
Launched first in October 2010, the Tata Aria created a niche in the Indian car segment by being a heady mix of a car and an SUV and has been given the tag of a crossover by the Tata Group.
The crossover has a three-row flexible seating that provides adequate space.
The second and third row seats can be fully done away with to make room for accessories or luggage, making it an ideal vehicle for adventure sports lovers.
Among the striking features is the Aria’s ability to park easily: You don’t even have to look back as a reverse guidance system will guide you. Also, there is automatic climate control, through roof-mounted AC vents.
The Aria was actually the first crossover that had gained 4x4 capabilities and had drawn the attention of buyers with its multi-performance capabilities and a good bit of snazzy looks.
The old Aria clearly carried a price tag that was considered on the higher side, with prices starting from over Rs 13.25 lakh.
But now, Tata Motors has dropped the prices substantially (by almost Rs 2 lakh) and this could help the Aria scale up numbers, pipping competitor Toyota Innova.
When compared with Mahindra and Mahindra’s Scorpio and Xylo, the price of even the lower variant, the new 4x2 Aria, is on the steeper side.
Mahindra models fall almost in the category of Tata’s Aria, and with Mahindra still having the price advantage, even the Tata Aria 4x2 version could find it difficult to eat into the Mahindra models.
However, a new variant always comes with its charm and could bring in a handful of customers initially.
But Tata is upbeat and feels that the 4x2 model will rev up the Aria’s sales substantially. One USP of the Aria is the comfort factor that is substantially higher compared with the Mahindra Bolero, Scorpio and Xylo along with the Toyota Innova.
Highlighting the comfort offered by the Aria, Telang added, “As the first Indian 4x4 crossover, the Aria has put Tata Motors on a new journey. The pleasure of the Aria is unique, combining the finesse of a sedan with the muscle of an SUV.”
The old Aria has not been doing too well on the sales front with the month of June logging a figure of around 350 cars. Sales had plummeted to around 100 units a few months ago.
Tata Motor’s unique strategy to position the Aria as a crossover has found only a few takers. Now, even with a Rs 2 lakh drop in price, Tata Motors could see the new Aria sales spurt in the short term, but in the medium term, the figure may reach a plateau.
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