[Aroy]

The least that Tata could do is to relocate the manufacture of the current Land Rover, once it is stopped in UK due to EU norms.

[Parm]

Out of all the SUVs of TATA, Sumo has the best chance of being converted by BD into a very capable OTR vehicle.

Also at the moment Sumo 4x4 is doing rounds of all the rallies and competition in India along with Safari and Storme.

Since both Sumo 4x4 and Safari has been bought by the Indian army, and the recent buy of Storme to replace the Gypsy and Amby as a CO's vehicle.

Sumo 4x4 could be very nicely inspired by Defender 110 and 90, YES, we need a SWB 4x4 Sumo, and it could offer the HardTop, PS, AC and hopefully the Diff lockers too! (BD SIR JI )

Sumo needs to go on a diet and take off excess weight and there are too many bins in TATA's kitty to make a Hybrid similar to Thar.

BD sir ji has the will, technical skill, experience to better the THAR, but its the TATA's who need to give him a FREE hand to do so!

A separate thread exists on Sumo 4x4 and somewhere I have posted a photo of Storme in Indian army colours.

PaRm

[Vishal.R]

This has potential to become a win - win situation for both TML and JLR.
TML can get a vehicle with superior engineering compared to any of their existing vehicles.
For JLR team, this is an opportunity to test their ability into a new segment which is lower but has batter mass market potential without sacrificing brand value.

If successful, TATA group may think about launching these products into export markets also, may be either with TML brand or some other brand like Rover.

But as with all recent TML initiatives big question is WHEN?

[discoverwild]

Parm,

I don't think we need a shorter wheelbase than the Sumo. AFAIK, the Sumo has a wheelbase of 2400mm which is the same as that of the Indica. The main issue would be ground clearance (easily workable?) and the overhangs (tough to change without body modifications?).

[1967'stang]

This can only be a good move. Landrover inputs can equal to most niggles and quality issues will be over and Thar product designer + Landrover inputs into Tata = a Defender for Tata. If this happens, We will get to see a tiny overview of the 2018 defender

[wilful]

It seems that the project is close to completion according to a report on ET.
Built on the Freelander 2 platform it is expected sometime in 2016/17, priced in the 25 to 30 lac bracket.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/33350982.cms

[mints21]

A report in The Economic Times has revealed that Tata Motors is close to finalising project with the British subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover to develop a premium sports utility vehicle in the price Range of ₹20-₹25 lakhs.

The project code named as Q5 is headed by Mr. Karl Heinz Servos and his team. The SUV is likely to be 50-80% different from the existing freelander but will have the genes of a Land Rover with JLR quality.


Link to the news item:
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Defau...&ViewMode=HTML

[a4anurag]

What about their servicing standards and problem solving capacity. Seen a couple of horrid thread by members on their dad plight with JLR cars and the problem they are facing.

What is preventing Tata to not concentrate there rather than developing cars to compete with leaders?!

A luxury brand means it should be a luxury to own, drive & live-with and NOT to drive it from home and ASC and back.

Let's see what the duo's are upto!

Anurag.

[swiftnfurious]

If they can NOT get it right in the 10L bracket or 15L bracket, how would they do it in 25L bracket?! Had they put any efforts to make the Safari / Storme and Aria to grab 50% sales of Scorpio and XUV 500, I would have been extremely happy.

And they planning to take on Toyota - Hope they have their work done pretty well. Am sure with the reliability levels of JLR, they might as well save that cash by scrapping the project initially itself.

[fine69]

I think its going to be a bigger dud than Aria & Kizashi put together. Unless and until they have a highly exceptional product (including reliability!), TATA shouldn't waste their & others time coming up with a 25L SUV that too with the TATA badge.

As mentioned by others, they should invest this money in revamping their existing products & making them better, starting from the Safari to the Range Rover!

[pgsagar]

I think Tata should exit car manufacturing business alogetger. Take a sabbatical for 2/3 years and let everyone forget how bad they were. And then do some clear thinking and launch quality products at affordable price that also look good, read budget hatches and mini and full size SUVs under 15 L. And last but not the least, do not launch any car with names which even remotely spell closer to Indica / Sumo and Safari. That, the way I see things, is the only hope there is for them.

[shiv]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

I think Tata should exit car manufacturing business alogetger. Take a sabbatical for 2/3 years and let everyone forget how bad they were. And then do some clear thinking and launch quality products at affordable price that also look good, read budget hatches and mini and full size SUVs under 15 L. And last but not the least, do not launch any car with names which even remotely spell closer to Indica / Sumo and Safari. That, the way I see things, is the only hope there is for them.

That would be suicidal. Remember PAL or for that matter how nervous Peugeot has been with regard to entering the Indian market.

[B747]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

If they can NOT get it right in the 10L bracket or 15L bracket, how would they do it in 25L bracket?! Had they put any efforts to make the Safari / Storme and Aria to grab 50% sales of Scorpio and XUV 500, I would have been extremely happy.

Definitely agree. None of their vehicles are selling in decent numbers and now they want to enter higher segment. Even Maruti/Suzuki was not able to get into these segments, grand vitara and kizashi is in front of us as examples.

[Kandisa]

It looks like the joint project with JLR is not the one involving Sumo 4wd platform. And as discussed here (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ve...eel-drive.html) the Sumo platform, if launched in appropriate make-up and price, is a potential winner for sure . Coming to the 25 L segment, if TATA is attempting that, its a disaster in the making for them.

[desdemona]

Friends, even we on team bhp love opining closed-mindedly, taking facile pleasure in belonging to a herd of safe 'public opinion'?! Or so I feel every time I encounter the gratuitous Tata-bashing that often goes on here. Why do we want to refuse to see:

That tata's role in the passenger car market is to showup the japanese and korean marques' excessive mark-ups borne of bloated stories of reliability+quality of ASS?

That tata motors keeps them honest by offering 'more car per car' which all their recent vehicles (vista, manza, storme, e-cs, even arguably aria ) do excellently with the zest and bolt and nexon coming soon enough?

That they continue to outsell many brands here by a long distance? That they have many lakhs of more or less satisfied customers, despite their alleged indifference to 'quality/reliability/ASS'.

We at team-bhp should be doing better than this repetitious bashing of this or that brand.

Of course, no personal offence meant at all, friends! And: i do not and have never owned a Tata, though I know very many who have.