The unveiling of the Safari at Auto Africa 2006, marked the beginning of Tata’s intentions to launch its own SUV in South Africa early next year.
Tata’s positioning on offering affordable motoring has been carried through to the SUV market with competitive pricing that will include many value-added elements.
The SUV market in South Africa has seen a phenomenal growth of 88% in the past two years to over 30 000 vehicles sold per annum. Gauteng alone constitutes almost half of all SUV sales in the country which could be the reason why it’s so hard to find parking in Sandton!
When deciding to launch the Safari, Tata took a close look at the categories of SUV buyers and found it was made up of the following:
Firstly, the predominantly male buyer who “means business” and is in the market to purchase a SUV for the primary purpose of work related activities and therefore looks for durability, off-road handling and reliability.
Secondly, the “SUV fun-driver” who is classified as a sport loving out-door person who balances work and play and in doing so is looking for an SUV that meets these “balanced” requirements.
Thirdly, the brand conscious, executive that looks for a SUV that can not only meet their branding needs, but is also suited to the “semi-rough” holiday that involves towing a caravan and traveling on dirt roads.
And lastly, there is the image conscious SUV buyer who will never venture off-road or put their SUV through the “dirt-ability” test and the only 4-wheel driving is done on pavements.
On a rating of 1-10 for scratches and dirt found on these vehicles, our first category buyer who “means business” scores a full rating of 10 out of 10! The fun-driving SUV buyer and brand conscious category buyers take second and third place respectively. It is with these buyers in mind that the Tata Safari has been designed and will therefore feature all the specifications to meet these driving demands.
So, SUV enthusiasts look out for the Tata Safari in February 2007 and prepare yourselves for the dirt-ride of your lives!