The Tata HBX (or Timero) will be powered by the brand’s 1.2L ‘Revotron’ engine, which also does duty on the Tigor, Tiago, and Altroz
Last year, we had reported that Tata had trademarked the name Timero and Atmos for its upcoming vehicles. Now, a recent news report from Motorbeam.com suggests that Tata could use the ‘Timero’ name for its production version of the HBX mini-SUV. The naming scheme does sit well with Tata’s other entry-level cars, the Tiago and Tigor.
The Tata HBX was showcased earlier this year at the Auto Expo 2020, in near-production form. It was earlier expected to launch during mid-2020, but it was delayed indefinitely due to the lockdown and market slowdown. Tata already has the Gravitas lined up for launch this year, and it seems like the brand has decided to take things slow and focus on just one new vehicle at the moment.
We’ve already seen plenty of spy pictures of the Tata HBX, and it seems like the company is aggressively testing the vehicle. This raises speculation that the launch might happen early next year, perhaps mirroring the approach Tata took with the Altroz. Regardless of the name, the HBX will surely be one of the strongest contenders in its segment.
The design of the Tata HBX consists of a lot of SUV-ish elements, like high ground clearance and muscular wheel arches. The front end of the HBX sports a vertically-split headlamp design, inspired by the Harrier. The alloy wheels of the vehicle will be the same as the Altroz, but without the dual-tone, machine-cut finish.
Powering the Tata HBX will probably be a 1.2-litre, naturally aspirated, inline-3 petrol engine, which can generate a maximum power of 86 PS and a peak torque of 113 Nm. It is expected to be offered with two transmission options – a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT. There’s a chance that Tata might offer a 1.5-litre diesel engine option as well.
There is no official confirmation about the launch date of the Tata HBX (or Timero), but we expect it to happen in the first half of 2021. The vehicle will be priced between Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh, and will directly compete against the Maruti Ignis, Ford Freestyle, and Mahindra KUV100 in the Indian market.