Tata has been making some exceptionally well-built cars in recent years. With the launch of the Harrier in 2019, the company has cemented itself amongst leading SUVs such as Jeep Compass and the Mahindra XUV-500 as the best value for money SUV in India. Heres why the Tata Harrier outshone the Jeep Compass and the Mahindra XUV500 in terms of December 2019 sales.
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Tata launched the Harrier in March 2019 as an all-new vehicle that sits above the Nexon. At a launch price of 12.69 Lakh, it is one of the most affordable, butch looking 5-seater SUVs right now. The car features an 8.8-inch touch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice commands, a push start button, 9-speaker JBL-tuned acoustics and much more, which the competition could offer only at a premium price point. Apart from this, the car is based on the Land Rover D8 platform, re-engineered for the Harrier.
Despite the current market conditions, the Harrier managed to sell pretty well, at 1458 units compared to the 1399 units of the XUV500 and 742 units of the Jeep compass, which also helped the Harrier reach the 15,000 units milestone mark. These figures are for December 2019. One of the main reasons for this is the massive discounts on offer. Dealer level offers are as much as Rs 2 lakh, combining all discounts together. This alone makes it a better (value) deal than rivals. Further, the XUV500 is long overdue for a replacement and feels slightly old school in front of the Harrier. Likewise, the Compass' premium sticker price keeps it away from new SUV buyers. All these reasons put together have created a good run for the Harrier last month.
Tata is also working on a 7-seater version of the Harrier, called the Gravitas, and is expected for launch at the Auto Expo next month. The car will be borrowing the same engine as the Harrier, but in a higher state of tune compensating for the extra load. The Gravitas will be priced slightly higher than the Harrier and will be BS6 compliant from the start. We expect the car to be priced a tad bit higher compared to the Harrier.
