A vehicle that has been hogging the limelight these days for quite some time is the Tata Aria. Recent reports have come in that a left-hand drive (LHD) variant of the vehicle has been seen being given test runs. It is very obvious that this LHD version of the Tata Aria has not been designed for Indian roads and is definitely going to be exported. Tata Motors, one of the leading car makers in India, had earlier indicated on coming out with an automatic transmission gearbox for the Tata Aria but spotters claim that the LHD version of the vehicle has not been provided with the same. Hence, we are not left with any other option but to wait and watch as to whether an automatic transmission variant of the Tata Aria makes its way to the Indian roads. This SUV from Tata Motors continues to prick the manufacturer continuously due to the slow reception it has got from the market, in terms of sales. This has happened, despite the fact that the car does not have any fault in its designing and functional aspects.
Where the major auto manufacturer has gone wrong with its Aria is in the pricing that has been set for it, which is definitely a bit expensive for its target Indian consumers. The capabilities of the SUV in itself attracted a lot of customers; however they could not be converted into buyers as the pricing factor became the major deterrent. Competitive cars benefitted greatly from this. A strategically smart move was finally made by the auto manufacturer at the beginning of 2011. Tata Motors introduced a 4×2 variant of its Aria and that too at a discounted price. Initial response to the same was encouraging with sales picking up to a considerable extent. However, with passage of time, the usual sales slowdown happened. The situation was particularly pathetic in the month of November when the vehicle just recorded 140 units of sales. The scenario for the Indian car consumer going for the Tata Aria has now, however, become even more tempting with a discount being offered to the tune of Rs.2 lacs. A straight cash discount of Rs.1.6 lakh also can find a lot of takers.
Post this discount, the 4×2 version of the Tata Aria is going to be sold at Rs.9.9 lakh. Experts in the auto industry feel that this is the price that the vehicle should have come with, when it was launched initially. This discount in the vehicle pricing is expected to continue for quite some time. Another factor that prospective consumers are looking forward to is the option of automatic transmission being provided to the Tata Aria. Another question that is on the minds of everybody is whether the company is going for a replacement of its existing DICOR 2.2L engine that achieves maximum power of 140Bhp and a peak torque of 320Nm or whether the same is going to continue for some time. All said and done, one thing that is certain is the fact that the huge discounts offered are definitely going to benefit the pricing strategy for the automatic transmission Tata Aria, whenever the vehicle is launched in the near future.