- Production commenced at the brand’s Pune plant

- To be powered by the 2.0-litre Kryotec diesel motor

Tata Motors India is all set to unveil the Safari on India’s 72nd Republic Day, that is on 26th January. The three-row SUV was last showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo as the Gravitas and will now be labelled after the iconic Safari. It will be premiered live and the webcast will start tomorrow at 7 pm.

The production of the Safari has also commenced at the company’s Pune plant. Select dealers have started receiving the first batch of the SUV and you can read more about it here. The Safari will be an elongated version of the five-seat Harrier and will borrow the design and styling elements from it as well. The front grille is finished in chrome in the signature tri-arrow pattern flanked by LED DRLs on both sides. The front bumper houses the projector headlamps and the fog lamps along with plastic cladding and a silver skid plate at the bottom. It will run on a set of 19-inch alloy wheels and feature the yesteryear model’s stepped-up roof.

The cabin of the Safari will be finished in Oyster White and Ash wood colour scheme with the floating touchscreen infotainment system taking the centre stage. The highlight of the Safari will, however, be the inclusion of the third-row and the captain seat layout in the middle row. It is also expected to have features such as a panoramic sunroof, centre armrest with storage bin, electronic parking brake with auto-hold function, and aircon vents for the third-row occupants.

Under the bonnet, the Safari is likely to be powered by the 2.0-litre diesel Kryotec engine making 168bhp and 320Nm of torque. Based on the spy images which have surfaced on the internet, the Safari could be available with a six-speed automatic transmission along with a six-speed manual gearbox. Tata will have to price the Safari strategically to rival it against the MG Hector Plus, Toyota Innova Crysta, and the next-gen Mahindra XUV500.