Tata Aria to be launched in South Africa early next year

The Tata Aria MPV was showcased at the International Auto Show currently taking place in Johannesburg. It exactly the same vehicle sold in India and will most likely be initially exported from the SUV major’s factory outside Pune. It will be available in South African dealerships in the first half of 2014.

The South African spec Tata Aria gets a chrome grille gives it a sporty and aggressive look. The revamped interiors with comfortable new leather seats add to the luxury feel. It is packed with a bunch of features like six airbags, ABS with EBD and a traction control system. The 2.2-litre diesel engine churns out 103bhp of power, 320Nm of torque and has been mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. Reports suggest that South Africa will get both the 4X2 and the 4X4 variants.  

The Aria Is the fifth passenger vehicle from Tata to go on sale in the South African market. Other cars that are currently sold there are Tata Indica and Tata Vista from the hatchback segment and the Tata Manza from the sedan segment. The Tata Vista D90, Tata Manza Club class, Tata Storme (Explorer edition) and Tata Xenon XT which were all on display amongst other commercial vehicles offered by Tata Motors.

Karl Slym, managing director of Tata Motors said, “South Africa is one of the focus markets for Tata Motors. We see tremendous potential in the market needs and are confident of designing products to cater to the consumer’s needs here. The new Tata Aria, the Tata Prima KL3TXF 6X4 Truck Tractor and Tata Ultra 812 Truck will be introduced in South Africa in 2014, which will bolster our extensive vehicle portfolio in the country.”