Tata Altroz, based on 45X concept, will likely be offered in both petrol and diesel engines; will take on Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Hyundai Elite i20
Following the long-awaited debut of the Harrier in January 2019, Tata Motors took to social media in April to tease the upcoming premium hatchback for the first time. Dubbed the Altroz, Tata hosted global premiere of the near-production version at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show on its 21st year of presence at the ace motoring exhibition.
The Altroz has now been spotted completely undisguised while on a speculated ad shoot hinting that a launch could be on the cards in late June or early July. It will go up against the segment-leading Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Hyundai Elite i20, Honda Jazz and Volkswagen Polo and is part of the brand’s strategy to be present in 90 per cent of the addressable segments.
The Altroz is the second vehicle to be based on the Impact Design 2.0 styling philosophy. Deriving plenty of influence from the 45X concept displayed at the 2018 Auto Expo, the Altroz has a commendable presence on the road judging by the pictures and is nearly identical to the prototype showcased in Geneva.
The premium hatchback is also the first Tata vehicle to sit on the modular ALFA (Agile Light Flexible Advanced) architecture. The set of spy pictures courtesy of a Team-BHP member comes following an undisguised prototype sighted at Tata’s production plant several weeks ago. It will be powered by a choice of petrol and diesel engines.
The 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit to be offered in the low-level variants should be good enough to produce 85 horsepower as in the Tiago and it will reportedly have balancer shaft to reduce engine vibrations while the top-spec trims will generate as much as 102 horsepower and 140 Nm of peak torque.
The Revotorq diesel engine, on the other hand, could be a detuned 1.5-litre version found in the Nexon pumping out close to 90 hp. The Altroz will be available in five-speed manual and automatic transmission options while the interior will get an assortment of premium features including a large touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.