It was back in February this year when Tata launched the all-new Safari. Soon afterwards, India went under lockdown as the second COVID-19 wave hit the nation with a vengeance. So, considering those facts, how many units of the Safari do you reckon has Tata produced to date? The first guess would be a few thousand because, let’s face it – the SUV in question is the brand’s flagship offering and isn’t meant for the masses.

The answer is 10,000. Yes, the production count has already breached the minimum five-digit mark. And all those units left the factory within five months. Drill down a bit further, and the achievement shines through even more prominently. In February 2021, Tata Motors rolled out just 100 units of the Safari. The rest were produced in less than four months after the production facilities reopened.

Tata Motors says that within its segment, the Safari occupies a market share of 25.2 per cent. The battlefield includes the MG Hector Plus, Hyundai Alcazar and the outgoing Mahindra XUV500. For the record, the Alcazar was launched last month.

The Safari is, of course, a very close sibling of the Harrier. Together, their market share is 41.2 per cent. Tata Motors says that figure is for the “High SUV segment” and comes from the first quarter sales data of the current financial year. Based on all those numbers, Tata Motors says that the Safari is already the bestselling six/seven-seater SUV in its segment. That’s despite rivals offering petrol-fed powertrains.

Recently, Tata Motors inaugurated eight new showrooms in Ahmedabad within 24 hours. Before that, the brand introduced the refreshed Tigor EV as the Xpres-T Electric sedan. Prices for that are still under wraps, but the electric vehicle will only be available for commercial use. And yes, we also got the new #Dark range from Tata Motors at the beginning of July.