Ever since the first spy shots of the Tata Aria made its appearance online, people have drawn comparisons between this crossover and the Innova. It is inevitable as the silhouette of this model (from the spy shots) was close to an Innova. Tata missed a MPV in its portfolio (barring the Sumo if you may), the launch of the aggressively priced Mahindra Xylo rolled together with company' habit of offering more for less were further reasons for the confrontation. In the mind of the public, Tata still has some way to go till it can sell premium products.
The Innova wasn't the primary target customer for the Aria. They were looking at variants of the Endeavour, Captiva, Outlander and the Fortuner. Tata's idea was to offer an inexpensive CR-V with higher levels of practicality. The misinterpretation by media and the public alike is reason enough to find other ways of marketing the product. Instead of showing it as a cross between a SUV and sedan, it will begin emphasizing the feature-rich nature of the Aria next month.
Tata' also planning a 4x2 version, but this will not lack features or technology. Tata could simply remove the transfer case and deem the product ready for sale. The company perceives it as a premium product and wants consumers to see it that way. So do not expect the Aria 2WD to be a cost-down version. A huge price or equipment difference won't exist. The Aria 4x2 hence will not act as a gateway to Innova customers.
