[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by damodar

Aria isn't anymore bulkier than a Skoda Superb, Merc E class or a Toyota Fortuner or the Pajero sport. In fact test drive the new 2014 model Aria and it will feel much lighter in feel because of the sprightly engine with an improved turbo charger and a better steering. Any car which has a sound design theme will feel small and compact when you drive but may look bulkier from outside, in other words the vehicle shrinks around and you feel as if driving a big sedan. This perspective is after driving my Aria for more than 2000 km in 20 days.

Sure, i totally agree with you on that. I've driven it and find it an extremely well packaged practical car (Although I at 6'3" never managed to find a driving position where the dashboard didnt try to bend bones in my legs). But statistical fact remains that in people's perception, the ARIA is a bulky car. Perception makes a hit way before the test drive even happens and is stubborn to get rid of. So we see only as many Arias on road as we see Superbs - for different reasons yes, but we see very few Superbs on road...

[directinjection]

Originally Posted by AAD

I agree but the wheelbase is different. It's 2650 mm for Storme and 2850 mm for Aria. The additional 200 mm can free up enough space for the front facing third row, just as in the Aria

That'll involve making major changes to the body shell. I'm not sure up to what point Tata would be willing to make incremental changes in what is now an aging design. It'll be better for Tata to develop an entirely new body shell then. I'm sure Tata is working on it already.

[narayan]

Feeling bored at work and hence did the below. Originally I thought maybe Tata could swap the smaller white rectangular area with a new touch screen system with controls for the a/c as well without affecting the top a/c vents. Now I guess they can actually consider removing the entire larger white rectangular area because this portion is a separate module in the overall dash board as pointed by the 4 arrows.

This would be similar to what Tata did to the old Vista dash board to get the Bolt/Zest .

Compared this with an Aria center console and it doesn't look like a very difficult job to do for Tata ( i.e. if they want to )

[soumobakshi]

Originally Posted by narayan

Feeling bored at work and hence did the below. Originally I thought maybe Tata could swap the smaller white rectangular area with a new touch screen system with controls for the a/c as well without \
This would be similar to what Tata did to the old Vista dash board to get the Bolt/Zest .

Compared this with an Aria center console and it doesn't look like a very difficult job to do for Tata ( i.e. if they want to )

Other than the color palette if they manage to do this to Storme, it will definitely have a market response.

[AAD]

Originally Posted by directinjection

That'll involve making major changes to the body shell. I'm not sure up to what point Tata would be willing to make incremental changes in what is now an aging design. It'll be better for Tata to develop an entirely new body shell then. I'm sure Tata is working on it already.

Given below are the Wheelbase & Overall Lenghts, heights & kerb weight for,

Fortuner 2750mm / 4650mm / 1850mm / 1955 kg
Pajero Sport 2800mm / 4695mm / 1840mm / 2065kg
Safari Storme 2650mm / 4655mm / 1922mm / 2095 kg
Tata Aria 2850mm / 4780mm / 1780mm / 2225 kg

Pajero Sport, in my opinion hits the sweet spot in terms of wheelbase, length, height & internal legroom of all the SUV's. In comparison the Storme has a wheelbase that is 150mm shorter & height that is 82mm taller and weighs 30 kg more. I believe this impacts the high speed stability & agility of the storme negatively, as compared to the Pajero Sport.

I think Tata Motors needs to increase the wheelbase of the Storme & they have a platform in terms of the Aria which could be adapted to make the Storme a more compelling product. This will not only increase the legroom allowing them to package a front facing third row of seats but also improve the overall ride & handling dynamics, particularly at higher speeds.

If Tata Motors is serious about getting numbers for Storme, it must BENCHMARK it against global product like Pajero & Fortuner.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by AAD

BENCHMARK it against global product like Pajero & Fortuner.

Benchmark against Pajero and Fortuner, but sell at the price of Scorpio. That is exactly everyone expects TML to do.

[xbox360]

I got this survey last week. Not sure if this was sent widely and whether this is linked to the launch of the new Storme. Below is a excerpt from the mail I got --

"We are from Ipsos, an independent market research company in India. Along with Tata Motors, we are currently carrying out a study on the Tata Safari Dicor & Tata Safari Storme cars in India.

We would be very grateful if you could spare about 10 minutes to help us by answering some questions. Please be assured that we are not trying to sell you anything and that this survey is being conducted purely for research purposes and your feedback will be treated with utmost confidentiality”

[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by xbox360

I got this survey last week. Not sure if this was sent widely and whether this is linked to the launch of the new Storme. Below is a excerpt from the mail I got --

"We are from Ipsos, an independent market research company in India. Along with Tata Motors, we are currently carrying out a study on the Tata Safari Dicor & Tata Safari Storme cars in India.

We would be very grateful if you could spare about 10 minutes to help us by answering some questions. Please be assured that we are not trying to sell you anything and that this survey is being conducted purely for research purposes and your feedback will be treated with utmost confidentiality”

I too received and answered that survey last week. It looked like the survey was commissioned by the marketing department of TML for a branding exercise. It intended to find out how owners think about the Safari/Storme. I must say, I found the content quite stupid. It was like the authors assuming that a person who purchases a superhero movie, must be feeling like either a superman, batman or spiderman after purchasing it.

[xbox360]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

I must say, I found the content quite stupid. It was like the authors assuming that a person who purchases a superhero movie, must be feeling like either a superman, batman or spiderman after purchasing it.

Very true, I too was thinking where are they going with this and what use will they derive from what they are collecting.

Anyways this thread is just too silent for a launch that is predicted to be just 2-3 weeks away!

[himanshugoswami]

Originally Posted by xbox360

Very true, I too was thinking where are they going with this and what use will they derive from what they are collecting.

Anyways this thread is just too silent for a launch that is predicted to be just 2-3 weeks away!

Jatin Ive maintained from day one that the updated storme will be launched in 2015- I stick to that. even if its launched in the next couple of weeks, it will be a soft launch (unlikely though). There is no sense in launching it now since Diwali is over and december is the worst month for car sales anyways.

[S5157]

I am looking to upgrade to Safari Storme and I have been unsuccessful to get a TD for last three weeks.

I have requested for a test drive through Tata motors website and I recieved an call back in 2 Minutes and was assured that someone from Concorde motors Kochi will call me. However after few days I got a call from local Tata dealer and he mentioned that it will take one month to get a TD.I have been to RF motors showroom in Kochi to show Storme to my family ( 45 kms away) and they also don't have a TD vehicle.They mentioned that they will call back once TD vehicle is available and no news so far.

My decision to go for Storme was questioned by anyone whom I mention it and still I went ahead with my decision. Now I am starting to think twice seeing the attitude from Tata even to sell this car and what surprises will be there post purchase.

[xbox360]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

Jatin Ive maintained from day one that the updated storme will be launched in 2015- I stick to that. even if its launched in the next couple of weeks, it will be a soft launch (unlikely though). There is no sense in launching it now since Diwali is over and december is the worst month for car sales anyways.

What you are saying makes perfect sense Himanshu. Also the dearth of any chatter on this forum or the web at large on this launch at this point in time backs up your argument.

What got my hopes up was the below post. Guess its back to 'wait patiently' mode for me.

Originally Posted by Aditya

Tata Motors is expected to launch the Safarti Storme facelift in mid-November.

Link to Team-BHP News Article

[soumobakshi]

+1 to ^

I am also eagerly awaiting for this launch and looking at the recent ads from Tata where they are on overdrive to sell ARIA it is looking apparent that something is cooking for Storme either a facelift or a price correction.

Having said that other than Body Style and looks what are the draw backs of ARIA over STORME ?

[wildsdi5530]

@S5157: Some showrooms in Bangalore too do not have test drives. That is what suggests that a new model is on the anvil.
But this issue of Autocar which runs a Scorpio-Storme comparo says new storme expected in mid 2015.
So what gives? Atleast give more discounts Tata. A measly 40k will not do.

[soumobakshi]

I was chatting with Siddharth of CnB@NDTV on fb and he confirmed that Storme facelift is sure to come in by Nov mid to Nov end. And he shared this link as well which summarizes the changes expected as per him.

http://auto.ndtv.com/news/2014-tata-...ng-soon-675989

Post this i am now eagerly waiting for Mid Nov