Tata launches Aria, finally

After taking what seemed to be an infinite time after its public unveiling at the 2010 Delhi Auto Expo in January, Tata Motors finally launched the much awaited Aria in the Indian market on October-11-2010. This launch holds more significance as the Aria is not only the costliest Tata yet, but also the most expensive and most technologically advanced car ever launched by an Indian manufacturer. Naturally, apart from the top honchos at Tata Motors, both the media and the public are going gaga over the Aria.
 

What strikes you first when you see the Aria is its size. Simply put, the Aria is huge and the pictures dont do enough justice to the actual dimensions of the vehicle. The front end with its stacked double barreled crystal headlamps and chrome-lined signature Tata grille endows the Aria with terrific street presence. The profile, with chrome side strips and huge 17 inch alloy wheels give you some hints about the size of the vehicle while the D-Pillar, with more than a passing resemblance to the Honda CR-V, is a cheeky design element. Tata's increasingly repetitive but still not boring christmas-tree taillamps and chrome-tipped dual exhausts along with the chrome license plate garnish with 'Tata' embossed in it looks classy.

Step into the Aria and therein lies the biggest surprise. When I had a close brush with one of the pre-launch Arias being tested in Pune a few months back, I mentioned that the interiors would, by far, be the best from Tata and the initial media reviews and test drives proves the point. Glance through the feature list and you will be shocked and surprised with a kind of "Is this a Tata?" feeling. The All Wheel Drive crossover comes with a host of features like Anti lock Braking System with Electronic Brake force Distribution, Traction Control System with Electronic Stability Program, six Airbags (driver, passenger, side and curtain), all four disc brakes, in-built navigation system with preloaded maps of most Indian cities, rain-sensing automatic wipers, darkness-sensing automatic headlamps, puddle lamps, individual ac vents for all three rows, power mirrors, dual HVAC with climate control, rear wipers that automatically switches on when reversing in rain and reverse parking sensors. Phew, and the list doesn't end there.

If that's not surprising enough for you, the next statement surely will. The Aria is priced between 13 and 16 lac rupees, making it much more expensive than the Toyota Innova and pitting it directly with cars like Skoda Laura. Overall, the Aria has no reason to not succeed with the only unanswered question being Tata's reliability and initial glitches like they faced with the Indica and Nano. Here's wishing Tata for the Aria's success because it literally, has taken Indian Cars to the next level!