XUV500 Rival Tata Buzzard To be Launched Under Cassini Name in India?

Keeping no holds barred at the Geneva Motor Show, Tata presented the 7-seater version of Harrier, the Buzzard SUV. Slated for launch in India sometime in 2019, the name sparked a few reactions online and even the automaker made it clear that the 7-seater SUV will not be brought to India under the name of Buzzard.

Now a report has emerged online that claims that Tata could name the new 7-seater version of Harrier as Cassini as the company has filed for the name in India. Although, the Indian automaker has still not made any clarification on the front of naming this upcoming SUV in India. Since Tata will sell the 5-seater Harrier as the Buzzard Sport in the Europe, the name Buzzard for the 7-seater SUV could also be used there. Upon its launch here, the Tata Cassini (assuming it will be called that) will be the flagship 7-seater product of the maker in India, and will also have the tag of largest and most expensive vehicle by Tata Motors in India.

Despite being the most expensive SUV by Tata so far, the Tata Cassini will be priced pretty competitively for the kind of features it will come with. Tata is sure to undercut some of its rivals and place the Cassini around Rs. 15 lakhs, which will give Mahindra XUV 500 and Hyundai Tucson a serious run for their money in India. There are a lot of similarities between the Tata Cassini and 5-seater Harrier. The similarities begin with the underpinnings of the two SUVs. The Indian automaker has used thir new Omega Arc platform in both the SUVs. The front end futuristic design of the 2 SUVs will also be pretty similar, so will be the interiors with the Cassini taking inspiration for the interiors from the younger sibling Harrier. The similarities do not end here, Cassini will also feature the same 2L Kryotec engine found on the Harrier. Although, the tuning on the Cassini will be different to offset the extra load of 2 extra seat and the occupants. The transmission too will be the 5-speed manual from Harrier, and both Harrier and Cassini are to be offered with a 6-speed auto gearbox sourced from Hyundai in the future.

Tata had earlier stated that the new platform of Cassini and Harrier is capable of being equipped with a 4WD drive and 4x4 system, this may feature on the vehicle in future, but the company has made no official comment yet.

Coming to the differences between the Cassini and Harrier, we find that Cassini is very large in size, large to such an extent that it rivals some SUVs from a segment above. The sloping roofline of Harrier is not visible on Cassini and instead of that, the Cassini comes with a flatter roof to accommodate the two seats in the back. Cassini is expected to be launched by the end of 2019 and there has been no official word on the name or date of launch of the SUV yet.