Tata Motors Names Upcoming Flagship SUV Gravitas

• The upcoming SUV shares its Land Rover-derived platform with the Tata Harrier.
• Likely to retain a BS6 version of the Harrier’s 2.0-litre diesel engine.
• Recent spy shots indicate that an automatic transmission could be available on the flagship SUV.
• The Gravitas will borrow many interior features from the Harrier as well.

Tata Motors has announced that its upcoming 7-seater SUV will be called the Tata Gravitas. We have known it as the Buzzard which was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. The company has announced that the Harrier-based sport utility vehicle (SUV) will be unveiled in February 2020, possibly at the Auto Expo 2020, alongside new EVs and hatchbacks. It will be Tata’s flagship SUV in India. The Tata Gravitas SUV is expected to command a premium of around Rs 1 lakh over the 5-seater Harrier, which currently retails for Rs 13 lakh to Rs 16.96 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). When launched, its primary rivals will be 7-seater SUVs including the Mahindra XUV500 and MG Hector.

A test mule of the SUV was recently spied with an automatic shift lever. This suggests that the Gravitas could be offered with a Hyundai-sourced 6-speed automatic in addition to its Harrier-derived 6-speed manual transmission. The spy pictures also show that the SUV’s interior could be very similar to that of the Tata Harrier.

The Gravitas is built on the Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advanced Architecture (OMEGA Arc) platform, which finds its roots in the Land Rover D8 platform. The President of Passenger Vehicle Business Unit at Tata, Mayank Pareek, said, “The Gravitas will up the ante in terms of luxury and performance and we are excited to launch this product to customers in February 2020. We are confident that the Gravitas will inspire and lead as a product among customers and industry alike.”

The Gravitas SUV could make its India debut at the Auto Expo 2020, to be held from February 7 to 12. It will be the first of a number of new and updated vehicles including EVs and hatchbacks that Tata Motors has in store for us in 2020. We are also counting down to the reveal of the Tata Nexon EV, facelifted Nexon SUV, as well as the Tiago and the Altroz. Could this SUV and other new cars lined up be the shot in the arm that Tata needs right now? We are as curious and hopeful as you are.