After a long gap, Tata Motors will get back into four-wheel drive SUVs 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 of 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 tech possible with EVs. With electric motors you can do a lot more, especially for performance,” says Srivatsa. This is also the reason why the brand chose to electrify and introduce AWD on the Harrier instead of on the Safari, however, adding, “For now, we can’t speak about that, but Safari electric can happen if it’s required,’
Importantly, Srivatsa sees the Harrier EV as being a single car in the family, as limited range EVs available so far in the market were mostly used as the second car. However, Srivatsa says the Harrier EV will deliver over 500kms of real-world range under Tata Motor’s 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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