Tata may launch the Aria facelift and the Movus on March 12

It was speculated that Tata Motors was going to unveil the facelifts of Aria and Sumo Grande, i.e. the Movus at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo. But not wanting to risk stealing the limelight from the Zest and Bolt, Tata did not bring the cars to the Auto Expo and it is now speculated that both cars are going to be launched on March 12 at an event in Chennai.

With the expected launch date only a couple of weeks away, dealers have already started accepting bookings of the facelifted Aria for a token of Rs 50,000. A website had recently leaked the brochures of the facelifted Aria which reveal a few details about the car. The new car will feature a new design for the headlamps, bumpers and grille as well as smoked tail lamps. The feature list of the car has increased with the addition of a 4x4 Adapterra system, which offers torque on demand, a new Harman music system with 6 speakers and anavigation system. The car is expected come in three colour schemes, Pearl White, Quartz Black and Arctic Silver along with leather upholstery for the interiors. The top-spec Aria is expected to ride on 17-inch alloys and will also get climate control.

The facelifted Aria will house a reworked version of the 2.2-litre diesel engine under its hood. The VARICOR four cylinder turbocharged engine will produce 148bhp and 320 Nm of torque. Despite the additional power, Tata claims an efficiency figure of 15.05kmpl for the crossover, more than the 13.51kmpl the current car offers.Unlike what was speculated earlier, Tata won’t offer an automatic version of the car for now and the Aria will continue to employ a five-speed manual gearbox.

Unlike the Aria, the updated Sumo Grande gets an all-new moniker which indicates that the car will occupy an independent slot in the lineup. The Movus will be positioned against the likes of the Mahindra Xylo D2 with Tata planning to primarily target the fleet operators and commercial sector rather than private individuals. Mechanical changes to the Movus will include a new turbocharger and a new fuel delivery system for the 2.2-litre VARICOR engine. Coupled with the reduced weight of the car, the engine is expected to boost the fuel economy and performance of the car. These mechanical updates are expected to eventually filter down to the regular Sumo Grande.

The Movus has been spotted testing around Tata's facility in Pimpri and features significant styling updates. While the overall design of the car remains the same, the Movus will adorn a revised front grille and bumper, blacked out window lines running the length of the vehicle and new reflectors on the tail lamp. 

Despite being one of the first crossovers in the country, the high price tag of the Aria kept customers away from it and the car never saw good sales figures. By adding more features, which is sure to increase the price of the car, Tata is taking a big risk here. The Movus on the other hand, being targeted at the commercial sector, is sure to be offered in a lower price bracket than the Sumo Grande. The Sumo used to be the hot favourite of fleet operators until Mahindra came up with the Xylo. Tata hopes to bounce back in the segment and the pricing of Movus will be a crucial factor which will decide the fate of the car. 

Source: Autocar

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