The automobile industry is changing. Almost every vehicle manufacturing company is focused on creating EVs to compete in the new era of transportation. First, the trains were electrified, then came the electric metros. Now the time to shift the personal mobility vehicle to pure electricity has come. Many companies like Tata, MG, Kia, and luxury car company Mercedes have already launched their EVs in the Indian car market. The largest share of the Indian EV market is captured by Tata Motors by being the first to offer great EVs in a fair price range. Now because of the continuously increasing demand for EVs, Tata is planning to launch Tata Harrier EV based on the Tata Harrier.
The previous year, some spy shots of the Tata Safari EV (test mule) had surfaced on the internet. Those spy shots gave us a hint that Tata Motors is working on creating the EV version of Harrier/Safari. This year, Tata has confirmed that they will launch an electric variant of Harrier by showcasing the concept at Auto Expo 2023.
The Harrier EV concept showcased at Auto Expo 2023 was truly looking breathtaking. The overall shape and size of the Harrier EV are identical to the Harrier diesel but design-wise, there are many changes on the exterior and in the interior. On the front, the regular grill is replaced by a new one that has horizontal slats creating a modern pattern and it is close as the EVs don’t require much air intake. Below it, you will find a bottom grill with vertical slats for air circulation and cooling the battery pack. The Headlight’s design is changed to a triangular shape which looks sleek and modern and the new LED DRLs are slimmer and more eye-catchy than the current Harrier.
The Harrier EV side profile has a new set of alloy wheels that look similar to that of the Hyundai Alcazar’s. There is a subtle EV badge on the bottom of the front doors and the back profile is also upgraded to look sportier, the LED elements inside the taillight are revised and are now connected with a wide LED bar. There are some expected new features on the inside. The main difference is a larger 10.25″ touchscreen infotainment system. The horizontal info-screen unit on Altroz Racer is the same, but this one has a nicer user interface. The old 7-inch display with a boring user interface found on the current Altroz and Nexon is probably going to be replaced with this new infotainment screen.
The Harrier EV will carry a 60 kWh to 80 kWh battery pack that is expected to deliver a range of about 500 km on a single full charge. The price of Harrier EV could start from Rs. 35 lakh (Ex-showroom). The Harrier EV will feature Tata’s Gen 2 EV architecture which is the second generation of the Gen 1 architecture we see in the Nexon EV. Until now, Tata Motors did not face any tough competition in the EV segment. But Mahindra by launching the XUV400 EV and showcasing the XUV800 Electric concept has created competition for Tata Motors. Tata now has to improve and add new good EVs to their portfolio to maintain their position. The Harrier EV and XUV800 EV both are expected to launch in 2024. Both EV SUVs will launch at a similar price range and carry a similar dual motor setup with an AWD system.
