Tata Blackbird SUV is expected to go on sale in 2021 and bridge the gap between Nexon and Harrier in the domestic lineup
Tata Motors has the Nexon and Harrier SUVs and both selling in good numbers every month. The SUV lineup will be expanded with the arrival of the H2X concept based micro SUV by early next year as the production model is expected to make public premiere at the upcoming 2020 Auto Expo and it will be slotted below the Nexon.
However, there is a glaring gap persisting between the Nexon and Harrier SUVs. The mid-size SUV segment dominated by Creta has seen increased rivals lately and it will be the same space Tata will be looking to have a go at in a year or two. Internet reports suggest that both the ALFA and OMEGA platforms may deem to be unsuitable for the upcoming SUV.
The expensive nature of the Land Rover D8 based OMEGA architecture and the requirement to make substantial changes in ALFA have led to Tata seeking new ways to underpin what has been called as the Blackbird purportedly. Tata has years of experience in partnering the Chinese brand Chery courtesy of JLR.
Their domestic relationship will more likely lead to Chery debuting in India in the coming years while its Tiggo 5x could be re-engineered as Tata’s rival to face Hyundai Creta. The latest rendering image gives some indication of how the Tata H4 might take shape with a unique individual identity.
Tata Blackbird is expected to be underpinned by the same architecture as Chery Tiggo 5x but the exterior styling could be based on the Impact Design 2.0. The digital imagination of the Blackbird is similar to the Harrier but with the elements sharper than the bigger SUV.
Some of the highlighting styling cues are split headlamp cluster with tri-arrow pattern-based enclosures, muscular bonnet with sporty lines and creases, slim LED Daytime Running Lights, machined wheels, black cladding, underbody protecting skid plate, side sills, roof rails, aggressive wheel arches and so on.
Expect the Blackbird to use Revotorq petrol and Revotron diesel engines with manual and automatic transmission options and the interior is believed to get top-notch equipment including a large floating touchscreen infotainment system alongside a slew of driver-assistive and safety features.