[nainan]

Originally Posted by SahilS

Gravitas set to be launched on 26th Jan, 2021.

As per a news report in TimesOfIndia

The three-row SUV will sit under Harrier in the company’s SUV offensive

This looked like a typo

Gravitas is likely to be priced Rs 13 lakh (ex-showroom) onwards

But then when I looked at this too it just does not add up. All we have been hearing so far is Gravitas is the flagship

Originally Posted by pseudo_coder

For that they will have to price it too close to Innova Crysta, which will be suicidal IMO.

If this is placed as competition to the Innova then its all over IMHO. This is why it was crucial to have an AWD and make a clear differentiation of its positioning as an SUV and not an MUV.

[kamilharis]

Come on TATA , what does this mean?!

So it's looks like Unveil < Reveal < Media Drive < Pricing < Deliveries etc. again.

Gravitas will be the most confusing launch of a TATA vehicle ever it seems. Not sure where and how they will place this, and for what price!

[yd_gli]

Originally Posted by kamilharis

Gravitas will be the most confusing launch of a TATA vehicle ever it seems. Not sure where and how they will place this, and for what price!

I think Tata is just as unsure as the rest of us with the Gravitas. The whole Harrier v1.0 to v2.0 development delay and covid restrictions meant that they lost the momentum and the plot with this car. Ideally it should've been launched together or a few months apart from the v2.0 Harrier given that it's not a different platform, powertrain or segment.

Also, the big white elephant in the room is the BS6 Hexa and what do they want to do with it with respect to the Gravitas. From what i hear the demand for the upgraded Hexa is higher than the Gravitas.

I think they'll hold off on the pricing to get a better idea of where the XUV500 lands up at since anything more than the XUV and close to the Innova means it'll have a tough time.

[turbo_delight]

Originally Posted by yd_gli

I think they'll hold off on the pricing to get a better idea of where the XUV500 lands up at since anything more than the XUV and close to the Innova means it'll have a tough time.

If they decide to launch after XUV 500,then what impression they are going to create. With all new age features like ADAS and new design elements, that too with more or less the same price of Harrier, XUV500 will be a very tough competition for Gravitas.

The longer they wait, the lesser market will wait for this launch. And certainly, they can't price it lower than Harrier. In today's market, with uncertain times, average people like me are little cautious to spend around 25 lakhs.

Tata have to make a decision and make that decision fast.

[motorworks]

Unfortunately Tata is in a catch 22 situation. Current Harrier prices mean that the Gravitas will have to be at least a lakh more than the corresponding Harrier variant, which also means that the Gravitas would end up being more expensive than the new XUV500, with lesser tech and features onboard. And if they price the Gravitas competitively, it would really make the Harrier irrelevant.

So what should Tata really do? My view is that the Harrier needs a price and feature correction. They need to get rid of the base XE variant, which is really badly equipped. Bring the next variant to the XE level kind of pricing, have things like ACC and alloys standard. This could probably swing some potential Creta and Seltos buyers to the Harrier. And then price the Gravitas at a lakh premium, but give it some popular and easy to plug in gizmos like air purifier etc. And hopefully the Gravitas has better third row than the XUV500, so get a marketing campaign going about 7 travelling in luxury. Also offer 7 & 8 seat configurations from day one. They can even pull some Innova customers here. Lastly, if they can they should get the car tested for crash results and go all out marketing on the whole safety part of it. If they somehow manage to price the Gravitas within the vicinity of the XUV500, Tata still has a chance to do well.

[swami69]

Yes, it is confusing where will TATA position the Gravitas as they are caught in between. But, I have an idea...

Remove two low end versions of Harrier and only retain the XT and XZ range
Introduce this 7 seater Gravitas in that XE and XT range, similar pricing to Harrier to bring in large families, tour operators and Just have one High end XZ+ range on the Gravitas

This way, they can say, both cars are same, but one is a simple 7 seater with practicality and other is a luxurious 5 seater for smaller families, and avoid getting into pricing issues, nearing Innova pricing etc.,

Swami

[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by Cessna182

MG won't rebadge its Hector for a 7 seat variant. Why is Tata doing this?

I think Tata is doing the right thing by proposing Gravitas as a new product and not merely a 7 seater version of Harrier. That will allow them to market it differently.

[Bluengel180]

A price revision of the Harrier should be on the works. Pricing the barebones Gravitas above the current harrier price will be suicide.


Variant to variant I believe that the Gravitas can be priced 1.5 lakhs above the equivalent Harrier variant to justify the additional seats and features.


Now this puts me in a tight spot. My Harrier is up for delivery in Jan. If Tata repositions the harrier in Feb I doubt they will make it up to the new owners.

[DonHyd]

I think hyundai and kia have succeeded even with inferior (relatively) products because of great marketing but Tata has surely messed up with Harrier-gravitas. Given the product, particularly it's LR underpinnings and fantastic looks, Harrier should have taken the market by storm. At launch, if they were not ready with automatic, it's understandable. But that lower state of tune? Niggles? Poor NVH? No dual tone? No sunroof? Rear drum brakes? Well, all these things they could have arranged by launch itself. Facelift corrected a lot but the initial momentum is hard to replicate. Personally I like Harrier(can't say the same about gravitas though), and if I am in the market for a 20 lakh rupee car, I will buy Harrier(post facelift) eyes closed. But for the majority, it is stuck between creta/seltos at the lower end and crystal at the upper end. I think Tata should create a sub brand for premium vehicles above nexon to generate aspirational value.

[turbo_delight]

Originally Posted by Bluengel180

A price revision of the Harrier should be on the works. Pricing the barebones Gravitas above the current harrier price will be suicide.


Variant to variant I believe that the Gravitas can be priced 1.5 lakhs above the equivalent Harrier variant to justify the additional seats and features.


Now this puts me in a tight spot. My Harrier is up for delivery in Jan. If Tata repositions the harrier in Feb I doubt they will make it up to the new owners.

I think you should wait for Gravitas launch and its pricing announcements. Given that XZA+ costs more than 25 lakhs on road Bangalore, and if they choose to put a premium of 1.5 lakh, then top end Gravitas would be touching 27 in Bangalore.

I don't think they'll make this kind of decision. Very less number of people actually buy 7 seater with 7 people in mind. They buy 7 seater because its affordable in the price range and also that they are willing to stretch. Anything above 27 lakhs, people won't even stretch.

So, they should bring down the harrier prices and keep the Gravitas pricing where harrier is sold as of date. I don't think making other permutations and combinations like this variant less , other variant high, will work for them. It just does not make sense.

They would give their best try in the first shot. Every price band and every segment has a fixed mass market car. Gravitas would be in the segment of Innova. If they plan to make a dent, its only by price, or else be happy with whatever numbers they achieve. Invest all money, cars won't sell if not priced well. In the end, they can say that our product is excellent and be happy with that.

In my view, indian car scene has easily been long enough for manufacturers to make right decisions. If they can't sell even after all these knowledge, then even doing root cause for failed products is useless. In India what matters is price, price and price

Learn from MG what they did with Gloster. Learn from what Nissan did with its Magnite. MG is starting his carrier, Nissan is on death bed. Tatas are in a much better position in many aspects. They should use their knowledge of customer expectations and should not be happy with whatever numbers they achieve. They should try to beat Innova and not be happy with the leftovers. Try big.

.

[nainan]

Tata has packed themselves into a tight corner all right with the Harrier prices. If it was price a couple of lakhs lesser there would have been better traction for the Harrier itself and enough room to place the Hexa and the Gravitas without going out of range of the customer perceived value.

Now that there is minimal differentiation between the twins except for the extra seats I think the only go for them is to price the top end of both as close as they dare to and progressively increase the price differential as they go down the variants with Gravitas variants more feature loaded than the corresponding Harrier ones.

Take some time to add some exclusive features like 360 degree cameras and launch a new top end for the Gravitas in say 6 months to a year.

As for competing in the Innova space I dont think what the Hexa could not do the Gravitas can. Their best bet would be to have an AWD, some slick marketing around the SUV credentials and look at garnering the 7 seater space which clearly is heating up with an overall unbeatable package.

Lastly IMHO they should have launched the Gravitas with the Harrier facelift set it up as a Safari successor and built the brand well before anyone else launched a worthy competitor given in the last 1 year nothing of significance has changed from the original Buzzard prototype.

Lastly I dont think a voluntary price cut for the Harrier will do any harm even now as it will only enhance its already significant appeal.

I have said this before Tata should look at the Pulsar story for inspiration where an Indian brand took a no holds barred tight pricing approach and still dominates the market after 20 yrs.

[srishiva]

Not sure I understand taking on Innova. What about the land rover lineage? Like XUV they should have had a Harrier name with different seating options and added features including AWD.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by DonHyd

Given the product, particularly it's LR underpinnings and fantastic looks, Harrier should have taken the market by storm. At launch, if they were not ready with automatic, it's understandable. But that lower state of tune? Niggles? Poor NVH? No dual tone? No sunroof? Rear drum brakes? Well, all these things they could have arranged by launch itself. Facelift corrected a lot but the initial momentum is hard to replicate. Personally I like Harrier(can't say the same about gravitas though), and if I am in the market for a 20 lakh rupee car, I will buy Harrier(post facelift) eyes closed.

I think the Harrier 2020 is almost an all new car inside its 4.59m x1.89m frame. And the customers are treating it as such, as evidenced by the steadily rising sales graph especially in the second half of of the year. It was a very compelling option for me too, if it were not for its dimensions.

[DonHyd]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

I think the Harrier 2020 is almost an all new car inside its 4.59m x1.89m frame. And the customers are treating it as such, as evidenced by the steadily rising sales graph especially in the second half of of the year. It was a very compelling option for me too, if it were not for its dimensions.

What is wrong with its dimensions? It is perfect for a spacious 5 seater.

[naivedyanm]

Originally Posted by pseudo_coder

Given the additional row, extra features and already high pricing of Harrier, I don't think they will be able to get better margins on Gravitas. For that they will have to price it too close to Innova Crysta, which will be suicidal IMO.

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

I think the Harrier 2020 is almost an all new car inside its 4.59m x1.89m frame. And the customers are treating it as such, as evidenced by the steadily rising sales graph especially in the second half of of the year. It was a very compelling option for me too, if it were not for its dimensions.

I think the dimensions are good for a 5 seater...no compromise on front and rear passenger space and a decent boot...the others I feel compromise on space to keep dimensions tight