Tata Sumo

Infobox Automobile
name=Tata Sumo


manufacturer=Tata Motors
production=1994–present
class=MUV
body_style=4-door station wagon
engine=2.2 L DICOR
transmission=5-speed manual
similar=Toyota Innova
Chevrolet Tavera

Tata Sumo is a multi-utility vehicle produced by India's Tata Motors. The vehicle was released in 1997 and was one of the first passenger vehicles designed in India. The Sumo received an extensive facelift in 2004 and was renamed the Sumo Victa in face of competition from relatively modern competitors. A sports utility vehicle-version of the automobile, named Sumo Grande, was released in 2008.

The Sumo is based on Tata Motors' 207 pick-up platform and thus, shared most of its other mechanics with other Tata vehicles like the Tata Sierra, Tata Estate, Tata Tatamobile, Tata Telcoline (TL) and Tata 207DI. In 1994, the Tata Sumo originally came with a 1948cc normally aspirated diesel engine. Later, an option of a turbocharged version of the same engine was also offered.

Prior to the Sumo, the Indian market had stagnated, where the most modern vehicles in the same class were from Mahindra and Mahindra, primarily derived from the original Willys Jeep models. Upon release, Tata Sumo quickly captured a major segment of the utility automobile market in India.

Spacio

A no-frills version called the Tata Spacio is also available. It is equipped with a 3000 cc DI diesel engine sourced from the popular LCV Tata 407. The prominent visual difference was the presence of round headlamps instead of the rectangular lamps. A soft top version of the Spacio called the Spacio ST was also introduced for the rural markets. After the facelift, the Spacio inherited the styling elements of the older Tata Sumo. In 2007, the Victa became available with the Spacio's 3000 cc engine. And in terms of styling, the positioning of the spare wheel was changed from the rear tailgate to the underbody of the vehicle. This model comes in 8 and 10 seater variants and is very much popular with private transporters & contract taxi vendors because of its lower cost.

Sumo Victa

The new Sumo Victa released in 2004 featured power windows, power steering, dual AC, central locking, clear lens multi reflector head lamps, crystal finish tail lamp cluster, anti glare ORVMS with electronic control, remote keyless entry, tachometers, LCD monitors, voice warnings, multiple trip odometers are all either standard or available options.

Sumo Grande

Tata launched the Sumo Grande on January 10, 2008 powered with a new generation 2200 cc convert|120|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on DICOR (Direct Injection Common Rail) engine. It is the most upmarket version of the Sumo available and features completely different body work. It lies below the Tata Safari in Tata's product portfolio.

External links

* [http://uv.tatamotors.com/newuv/sumo/index.asp Tata Sumo official website]
* [http://www.bharathtalk.com/forums/indian-cars/sumo-grandy.html TATA Sumo Grande]