In April 2021, Tata Safari and Harrier sales surged over that of MG Hector and Hector Plus by as much as 1,079 units or 52.26 percent
The SUV segment in India is doing exceedingly well in terms of sales. Be it the Tata Harrier and Safari models or the MG Hector and Hector Plus and even the Maruti Vitara Brezza and Hyundai Creta, each have been seeing strong sales in Indian markets in recent times.
MG Motor India is a fairly recent entrant in the Indian automotive segment with its Hector SUV launched in June 2019 and more recently the Hector Plus launched in January 2021. Both these SUVs have been showing strong demand in the country with the Hector cruising past the 50,000 unit mark in 21 months of launch.
Hector vs Harrier
However, last month, the MG Hector Twins found some competition in the form of the Tata Harrier and Safari. The Tata duo outsold the MG Hector and Hector Plus by an impressive margin of 52.26 percent or 1,079 units. Tata Motors sold 3,226 units of the Safari (1,514 units) and Harrier (1,712 units) as against 2,147 units of the MG Hector and Hector Plus. This makes it the first time that Tata Motor has surpassed sales of MG Motor in the mid-size SUV segment.
This was a big jump over March 21 sales when the Hector and Hector Plus noted combined sales of 4,720 units and the Tata Harrier and Safari saw sales of 4,432 units. It is also to be noted that production of all manufacturers is currently not at their optimum levels as there are multiple issues like uneven supply chain, raw materials deficit, regional lockdowns, etc.
Price Difference
The Tata Harrier is priced at Rs.13.99 lakhs for its base variant going up to Rs.20.45 for the top end model. The Tata Safari 6/7 seater, on the other hand is positioned in a higher price range of Rs.14.70 for its base trim and at Rs. 21.46 for the top of the line Adventure Edition.
Prices of the MG Hector and Hector Plus were hiked at the start of April but are still in a lower price span as compared to the Tata Harrier and Safari. MG Hector is now priced from Rs.13.35-19.43 lakhs and the Hector Plus is in a range of Rs.17.50-19.61 lakhs.
Features and Engine Specs
The MG Hector and Hector Plus facelifts are feature packed. They both receive wireless charging, auto dimming IRVMs, ventilated seating and also Hinglish voice commands, Wifi option, weather forecast updates and engine start alarm. The engine lineup consists of a 1.5 liter turbo petrol engine offering 143 hp power and 250 Nm torque and a 2.0 liter turbo diesel engine making 170 hp power and 350 Nm torque. Transmission options include a 6 speed manual, 6 speed DCT and CVT on the petrol engine while the larger diesel engine gets mated to a 6 speed manual gearbox.
The feature list on the Tata Safari and Harrier includes an 8.8 inch floating touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a panoramic sunroof, 9 speaker JBL audio system and steering mounted controls. The Safari is based on the Harrier and shares the same OMEGA ARC platform derived from Land Rover’s D8 platform. The two Tata SUVs also share the same engine lineup with the 2.0 liter, turbocharged petrol engine making 170 hp power and 350 Nm torque mated to 6 speed manual and 6 speed automatic gearbox.
