While Safari EV test mules have not made recent appearance, we hope Tata Motors launch it alongside Harrier EV sometime in 2025
Tata Motors is one of India’s leading car manufacturers and makers of India’s highest-selling SUVs. The company is gearing up to launch an electric version of their flagship Harrier and Safari SUVs. Recent spy shots show a near-production test mule of Harrier EV that is donning a rear electric motor and sophisticated rear multi-link independent suspension.
New Tata Harrier EV Spy Shots
Just after Mahindra launched BE 6 and XEV 9e in India, Tata Motors seems to be gearing up to launch the electric versions of Harrier and Safari. A Harrier EV test mule has been recently spotted in latest spy shots, thanks to automotive enthusiast Rohit Shinde who spotted it at Tathawade, Pune-Bengaluru Expressway.
The test mule was covered in camouflage, giving little to no insight on sheet metal profiling. However, the vehicle looks vastly similar to ICE Harrier. A trait Tata has maintained with its ICE and EV lineups. With Harrier EV, we can expect it to have a new front bumper with a closed-off grill to establish design distinctions.
Recent spy shots confirm the presence of a rear electric motor. Considering Harrier ICE is only FWD, we can expect Tata is bringing some excitement factor with Harrier EV by offering Harrier EV with RWD as standard. Another possibility could be that Harrier EV will be FWD as standard, but gets rear electric motor in 4WD variants with Terrain Modes.
This means there might be dual motors on Harrier EV. If Tata Motors launched it in India before Maruti’s eVitara, Harrier EV could be India’s first mainstream electric vehicle with dual-motors. Other notable element we can see from the spy shots is rear independent multi-link suspension setup, which will offer a more sophisticated ride.
On the inside, we can expect Harrier EV to come equipped with the same interior layout as Harrier ICE. A 12.3-inch main infotainment screen, a 10.2-inch instrument cluster, powered driver’s seat with memory function, ventilated front seats, panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, ADAS suite, 6 airbags and other features.
What to expect?
Currently, Tata Motors sell a very diverse portfolio including the Tiago and Tigor at the budget end, Punch and Nexon at the mid level, and Curvv, Harrier and Safari at the premium end of the spectrum. But one thing is common between all these vehicles. All of them are FWD monocoque vehicles and don’t get rear independent suspension.
Not that Tata never had RWD vehicles or vehicles with rear independent suspension before (Nano had both). A modern Tata vehicle where rear wheels are driven and has independent rear suspension is quite special. Battery pack options on Harrier EV and range figure are not yet known. There’s a good probability that Tata might debut production-spec Harrier EV at 2025 Auto Expo and launch it soon after.
