The upcoming 2021 Tata Safarii is going to be one of biggest launches of the year, slated for a global unveil on January 26, 2021. Production of the new Safari is already underway as it has now been spied at Tata's plant, also giving us a sneak-peak of the production-model ahead of its debut. Tata Motors dropped a bomb a few days ago when they announced that they will be resurrecting the 'Safari' nameplate in India. The model that was showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo was only codenamed as the Gravitas. In fact, it was first called the Buzzard when it was showcased at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show.

This new spy image shows us that the Safari will be available in a new blue colour option. The Safari is a 7-seater version of the Tata Harrier and although they look very similar in terms of styling, there are certain key differences to note. The keen eyed among you would notice that the Safari boasts of a different silver grille design with new tri-arrow elements. Tata have also added 63mm to the Harrier’s length and 80 mm to the height to make way for a decent third row. The rear end thus already looks quite distinct with a stepped roof and upright tailgate. This however seems to be the base-spec Safari as it does not seem to be wearing its dual-tone 18-inch alloy wheels.

The Safari will be based on the Land Rover-derived Omega architecture. While the original Safari was a proper 4x4, the new Safari will be front-wheel driven, at least initially. Tata Motors have however assured that the Land Rover Discovery-derived D8 platform can be adapted to incorporate a four-wheel-drive system. Tata have said that based on customer feedback and research, they could actually explore the possibility of a 4x4 Safari sometime in the future.

On the inside, the Safari will be offered with a dual tone black-creme color scheme and two seating configurations - a 6-seater with captain seats and a 7-seater with bench seats. The dashboard layout remain identical between the Safari and the Harrier but the lighter two-tone theme on the Safari has an airier feel to it. The Safari could get additional features such as an electronic parking brake, connected car tech, and a powered tailgate which the Harrier misses out on.

The Tata Safari will be powered by the Harrier's Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that produces 168 bhp and 350 Nm of peak torque. The engine will come mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. Unofficial pre-launch bookings are already underway at select dealerships for a token amount of INR 51,000. It will come at a decent premium over the Harrier which is priced between INR 13.84-20.30 lakh and will rival the likes of the MG Hector Plus and upcoming next-gen Mahindra XUV500.