Start with what the Tata Aria is: a 5-door crossover SUV with 2.2L Dicor turbodiesel I4, built from 2010 to 2017, as electrification stopped being an experiment and the crossover took every market. What it meant takes a little longer.
Where it came from
The Tata Aria is a full-size crossover SUV manufactured by Indian auto manufacturer Tata Motors. The Aria was launched on 5 January 2010 at Auto Expo, Delhi, and was launched to customers on 12 October 2010, with prices started at 10.4 lakhs INR Ex showroom or (16k-17k USD). It is based upon the Tata Xover concept that was showcased at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show.
The Aria was also a series of concept cars introduced by Tata Motors at the Geneva Motor Show in 2000. The Tata Aria was succeeded by the Tata Hexa, featuring new exterior and revised interiors. The Hexa comes with a Varicor 400 2.2-litre diesel engine with the option of a manual, as well as automatic transmission. The Hexa delivers a real-world fuel efficiency of 12 km/L.
Under the skin
The engine is 2.2L Dicor turbodiesel I4. On the scales it comes to 1920 kg. Drive goes through a 5-speed manual. The wheelbase is 2850 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
In the Tata Motors Ltd line-up the Tata Aria has a clear place: it replaced the Tata Estate; it handed the line to the Tata Hexa; the factory was Pune, Maharashtra, India. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Nissan Leaf, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Lexus LFA. Nearby in the Tata Motors Ltd catalogue sit the TaMo Racemo and the Tata 407.