Tata Safari Merlin continues testing; Launch not in this month

Sources familiar to the Safari Merlin project told IndianAutosBlog.com that Tata Motors will not launch the vehicle on the last week of this month.

There were many speculative reports and news articles stating that the Merlin comes a day before or after the Mahindra XUV500 to intensify the war of the SUVs. We have learned that this is not true.

There is little doubt that the next launch from Tata Motors is the Merlin, but before pulling off the dust sheets Tata wants to ensure they leave nothing to chance.

The Merlin was caught testing by IAB fan Bhushan P on the NH4 just before Pune. Bhushan says the Merlin was easily doing 120kph. The same mule was caught testing by IAB fan Kapil Jagtap last month near Pune along with interior shots.

Equipped with disc brakes on all four wheels, new steering system, improved gearbox, and many new features borrowed from the Aria parts bin and a 2.2-liter DICOR engine that could produce higher power and torque outputs, the Merlin is on a mission to unsettle the Mahindra Scorpio.

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