“I think it can attract customers from all over” says Vivek Srivatsa, chief commercial officer, TPEM on the Tata Sierra

The new Tata Sierra was one of the much-awaited unveils at the 2025 Auto Expo, and it certainly seems to have been worth the wait. The new Sierra continues to sport a design language that clearly pays homage to the original, albeit in a modern avatar with more sophisticated technology going into the SUV. And to know more about the Sierra, we spoke to Vivek Srivatsa, chief commercial officer, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, on the sidelines of the SUV’s unveil at the Auto Expo.

We do know that the Sierra will be offered with multiple powertrain options – both ICE and EV, and when asked about the launch timeline of the Sierra, Srivatsa said, “Launch plans for both EV and the ICE Sierras will be in the second half of this year, hopefully in time for festival season. The exact cadence of launch is something we will decide closer to the launch period, but both will come this calendar year.” Srivatsa added that it is likely that the launches of the ICE-powered Sierra and the Sierra EV will be staggered, but both of them will be launched in the second half of 2025.

Visually, the Sierra looks smaller than the Tata Harrier, and when asked if the former will be undercutting the latter in terms of positioning, Srivatsa said, “We really did not think of where it will sit in the industry categorisation and all that.” He went on to add that, “I think it (the Sierra) will purely be a heart purchase and I think it can attract customers from all over. What I would say we have been focussing on is to get the spirit of the Sierra. The design of course, but also the brawny performance.” Srivatsa confirmed that the Sierra will be powered by Tata’s 1.5 GDi petrol engine, as well as a diesel and electric powertrain. We can confirm that only the Sierra EV will be equipped with all-wheel-drive, but Srivatsa did mention that there might be a possibility of AWD on the combustion-engined models.

The Sierra was one of Tata’s first products and also one of India’s first SUVs. Speaking about the legacy of the Sierra, Srivatsa said, “The legacy is when we look back at the nineties, India was very different. For the first time, it’s a brand which made people imagine what is possible and really have aspirations on the automotive side. So, that legacy of what is possible, opening out the imagination of customers, that is what we want to really do.” The Tata Sierra has surely gained a lot of interest at the Auto Expo, and we cannot wait till the SUV hits the roads, with its iconic design rekindling memories of the OG Sierra from all those years ago.