The rendering images showcase a more premium take on the Sumo with tall stance and possible off-roading capabilities
The ten-seater Tata Sumo debuted way back in 1994 as a real-wheel-driven SUV and initially it was designed specifically for off-road transport and military use. Within a few years, the Sumo’s sales volumes crossed more than one lakh units. It is based on Tata Telcoline’s X2 body-on-frame platform that is modified with redesigned rear axle to adapt part time AWD system.
Some of the iconic nameplates in India had to be shown the exit doors due to more stringent crash test standards as well as the BSVI emission regulations in recent times and the Sumo was certainly one of them. The Sumo had been through several iterations including Space, Vista, Gold and Grande. The Gold was the last survivor as it was introduced in November 2011 and continued till 2019.
The Sumo Gold was nothing but the facelifted Victa that was in business for seven years till 2011 and it used a 3.0-litre common rail four-cylinder engine producing 84 bhp at 3,000 rpm and 250 Nm at 1,000 rpm. It was mated to a five-speed manual transmission and claimed to return 14.7 kmpl. It was sold in four variants and one of the icons we regretted seeing let go and consumed in time.
Just as with any popular nameplate, the discontinuation will result in cropping up of fresh speculations. As Tata Motors revived the Sierra name through the Sierra EV concept showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo, the Sumo could return to the domestic market one way or the other in the near future. To up your hopes a bit, here is a set of rendering that imagines a Sumo premium SUV.
The front fascia of the digital imagination takes heavy inspiration from the latest Ford Explorer and the influence of the Blue Oval’s SUV styling followed globally can be clearly seen. It gets sharp headlamps, black grille, a busy bumper with horizontal fog lamps, and bulging bonnet complement the upright front fascia.
Other design highlights include a large greenhouse, tall pillars, bold rear end with trapezoidal tail pipes, flat tailgate to offer large boot volume, chromed window line and black bits bringing a dual-tone appeal. We do expect the Sumo to return based on the OMEGA platform as an upmarket offering sitting well above the Gravitas in the near future.