Now is the right time to introduce 4WD, says Tata’s Vivek Srivatsa

Tata Motors can overcome the engineering difficulties of offering four-wheel drive on the Harrier with the introduction of the EV.

Published On Jan 22, 2025 02:32:00 PM

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After a long gap, Tata Motors will re-enter the four-wheel drive SUV market with the Harrier EV, which the brand showcased at the Auto Expo 2025. Speaking to Autocar India, Vivek Srivatsa, chief commercial officer of Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, said, “It's a good time for us to do this [4WD]. For the longest time, we've been saying there's no business case, but we've seen consumers going towards heart buys again.”

The Harrier EV will have a rear-biased all-wheel drive system
It will have a torque output of up to 500Nm

While this is true, the reason for the Harrier AWD introduction is also because, with an electric drivetrain, Tata Motors can easily introduce four-wheel drive into the Harrier platform.

The ICE Harrier uses a Land Rover-derived platform and a Fiat-sourced diesel engine. Packaging an all-wheel drive system within this setup would have required significant re-engineering and, thus, cost, especially for putting in a rear drive shaft. With EVs, adding a rear motor is much simpler.

“It also allows us to showcase the tech possible with EVs. With electric motors, you can do a lot more, especially for performance,” says Srivatsa. This is also why the brand chose to electrify and introduce AWD on the Harrier instead of the Safari. However, he adds, “For now, we can't speak about that, but a Safari electric can happen if it's required.”

Importantly, Srivatsa sees the Harrier EV as a single car in the family, as the limited-range EVs available so far in the market have mostly been used as second cars. However, Srivatsa says the Harrier EV will deliver over 500km of real-world range under Tata Motors’ own range test cycle. The brand calls it the C75 cycle, which is said to be a near-real-world driving range, and 75 percent of owners can expect to achieve this.

Tata Motors has confirmed that the Harrier EV will be launched in the first half of 2025.

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