The Tata Aria has received a major price cut of Rs. 1 lakh for the base LX 4×2 variant. Will the MPV sell in good numbers now? Or does Tata Motors need to push it more aggressively?
Tata Motors had launched the Aria MPV long back with great pomp. The vehicle came loaded with electronics and features and the company seemed confident to pull it off. The Aria tanked miserably due to its high price and the low confidence that prospective buyers had in the brand. After trying various tactics such as updating the vehicle and reducing the prices which didn’t work, the company has now again reduced the vehicle’s price and this time the Aria gets a massive price cut.
With a price drop of Rs. 1 lakh, the Tata Aria LX 4×2 is now priced at Rs. 8.95 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). Apart from the LX variant, the Aria is also available in Pleasure 4×2 and Pride 4×4 variants. Powering the Aria is a 2.2-litre 4-cylinder diesel engine producing 150 PS of power and 320 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and Tata Motors might launch an automatic variant in the future. Tata offers a warranty of 3 years/1.5 lakh kms with the Aria and an annual maintenance contract for 4 years/2 lakh kms is also provided.
The Tata Aria competes with the Mahindra Xylo, XUV500 and Toyota Innova. The Innova rules the sales charts even though it is far more expensive. The Xylo and XUV500 too sell in good numbers. Tata is trying its best to sell the Aria. It might offer good space and comfort but when a product receives some kind of bad impression in front of buyers, it becomes difficult to change that perception. What Tata needs to do is give the Aria a comprehensive update while ensuring the pricing doesn’t change as big discounts do hurt the resale value.
