Did Alto And Innova Climb The Elephant Rock? These Are The facts

Tata Motors has been very dramatic with the Harrier.EV. From the 'Quad Day' stunts to the official TV commercials, everything has been cinematic. The 'Elephant Rock Climbing' video has created major commotion among enthusiasts and haters alike! After the launch, we saw many claiming to have done the Elephant Rock course with their own cars and SUVs- trying to make the Harrier.EV's achievement look small. In the most recent instance, we saw a Maruti Alto and an Innova standing on the top of a rocky mountain. The reel went viral after some netizens thought it to be the Elephant Rock and started resharing and discussing the same...

The video shows An Alto parked alongside another car, on the top of the mountain, and an Innova moving slowly towards them. A slip from the top of the mountain could get you killed- suggest the reel.

Most things we see on the screen stay true to the terrain description which was featured in the Elephant Rock climb. This could have led to (some) people mistaking this mountain to be the elephant rock. Plus, the video opens with an audio fragment from the Harrier.EV's official video.

As the clip went viral, people started discussing it in all the wrong perspectives! Many commented that the Harrier.EV didn't achieve anything major by climbing the Elephant Rock. What's the big deal if an Alto can do the climb with its tiny engine and front wheel drive (FWD) layouts?

Haters doubled down on this line of thought and soon started to steer the conversation towards dismissing the entire video to be fabricated and CGI'ed. Now, there are reasons for an unbiased viewer to believe this claim. We'll come to those later. But first, let's answer the most important question...

Did The Alto Climb Up The Elephant Rock?

No, at least not in this video! The mountain shown in this reel is not the Elephant Rock. It is Uravappara- a hillock located near Thodupuzha in Kerala's Idukki district. There's a temple on the top of it, which is said to be at a height of over 500 ft above the mean sea level. The Elephant Rock that the Harrier.EV conquered, is at a height of 3,937 feet!

Now, look at the difference in topography. The Elephant Rock's terrain, as seen in the official video, was much more uneven and had sharper inclines and tougher trails. The mountain shown in this video has smoother surfaces and forgiving terrains. Definitely, both aren't the same!

The original creator has clearly mentioned the place's name in its description. The Elephant Rock is situated near Vagamon in Idukki- about 46 km from Uravappara.

Even from a pure mechanical perspective, this cannot be the Elephant Rock if something as simple as an Alto has managed to make it to the top. The actual Elephant Rock has gradients of up to 34 degrees, which is nearly impossible for an Alto to climb, with its tiny engine and FWD setup. While we have seen Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) vehicles like Bolero doing the climb, the Alto's powertrain wouldn't simply have the power and torque to do so.

The Harrier.EV Climbing Elephant Rock: Is It CGI?

As mentioned above, there are reasons for someone to believe the Harrier.EV's climb to have CGI'ed. At many points in the video, we get to see vehicle textures and movements that seem to be slightly unnatural or 'cooked up'. The careful use of colour grading has been able to mask this to some extent.

Well, there is definitely CGI involved in the production of this video and it probably had nothing to do with the SUV actually doing the climb. The filmmakers could have used CGI to enhance the visual appeal and cinematic impact of the ad.

It is common for professional filmmakers, artists and photographers to use CGI and graphics to boost impact of the end product, to make the vehicle (the subject) pop, to clean up the shadows and highlights on the metal and more. The team could have done the same here as well. We do agree that some moments inside the film were too cinematic to be convincing. But then, that's the beauty of it!