Tata Motors diverts focus to launch six new SUVs in the next 4 years

They made a zesty new beginning with a compact sedan, the Bolt hatchback and will be expecting their Kites in the pipeline to soar high post launch. However, over the next four years, Tata Motors will also ensure they win back lost ground from their prime rival, Mahindra. The auto giant plans to launch as many as six new UVs in the coming years. Some of them will be replacing their aging product line-up, while some will be brand new products that will mark Tata’s foray into uncharted territory.

The first product will be the Hexa Crossover which made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show 2014 as a concept. A re-bodied Aria, the Hexa crossover will be powered by a 2.2-liter VARICOR 400 engine that delivers 154.21 hp of maximum power and 400 Nm of maximum twist along with an optional torque-on-demand 4WD system. Packed with features, the 6-seater could see launch early next year.

Later next year, Tata will also launch a compact SUV based on the Nexon concept displayed at the Auto Expo 2014. A 5-seater, the sub 4-meter product with RR Evoque inspired looks will take on the Ford Ecosport, Maruti’s upcoming compact SUV, Mahindra S101 and the Hyundai Ix25. The Tata Sumo will shed some of its flab and will be launched as the Raptor in late 2016. A rather rugged vehicle that will target B-town and rural markets, the Tata Raptor will try and hunt the Bolero down from its dominating position as the largest selling UV in India.

Two new global products which are being developed with inputs from JLR are expected to hit the market by the second half of 2017. Codenamed as Q501 and Q502, the former is a 5-seater while the latter has space for seven. Both vehicles could be powered by a new 2.0-liter Multijet motor that Tata is jointly developing along with Fiat Chrysler. Two other products – a 7-seater SUV on the X1 platform and a 9-seater based on the X6 platform are also under consideration.

* content courtesy motoroids .

Upcoming Tata Land Rover SUV based on Discovery Sport

Tata is currently developing it’s very own entry-level premium SUV based on the Land Rover Discovery Sport’s L550 platform. Known internally as the Q501, the SUV will share structural bits like the floorpan with the baby Disco, but will feature Tata specific styling on the outside. In these renderings, ace Theophilus Chin tries to imagine how the Tata land Rover SUV might end up looking.

 

Of course, it does look like as if the Tata Hexa grew a bigger nose, but according to Tata themselves, the Hexa’s styling does preview the maker’s future design direction for SUVs. Ground clearance and footwear have been appropriately beefed up too.

The Hexa’s altered SUV stance sprawls the LR Discover Sport’s shape, size and proportion, including the 2741 mm wheelbase, and to us, it looks fit. The Q501, due in 2016-17, will be Tata Motor’s first ever major production application of components sourced from the JLR parts bin, including the LR-MS platform, along with the possibility of the Terrain Response System.

The Discovery Sport is available in five and seven seat layouts, reflecting the desire for Discovery models to appeal to family buyers, so expect the Tata to follow suit too. But being a Land Rover, a wading depth of 600mm and a ground clearance of 212mm ensure that this is still a proper SUV – not a crossover.

The Discovery Sport is powered by 2.2 litre, 4-cylinder, TD4 and SD4 diesel engines, both available with six-speed manual and nine-speed automatic transmission (ZF) options respectively. While the TD4 units produce 150 PS of maximum power and 400 Nm of maximum torque, the SD4 units are rated at 190 PS of maximum power and 420 Nm of maximum torque. All versions offer Four Wheel Drive as standard.

 Land Rover Discovery Sport

However, for the Q501, Tata Motors is evaluating Fiat’s 2.0 Multijet II diesel engine which is expected to make between 150 and 175 PS and lower-powered versions of the same could be used as well. Though the engines from the Land Rover tentatively won’t be shared, a 2.0 litre, 4-cylinder, eD4 Diesel engine is also expected to join the Discovery Sport range in late 2015. To be available exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission option and 2WD, the eD4 unit is expected to make 150 PS of maximum power and 380 Nm of torque – another possibility that Tata Motors could possibly consider.

*. Images courtesyTheophilus Chin .