Tata HBX is expected to arrive in the Indian market in the coming months, to rival the likes of Maruti Ignis, Ford Freestyle, and Mahindra KUV100
At the 2020 Auto Expo, Tata Motors had showcased the HBX micro-SUV concept in near-production form. The vehicle was initially expected to debut last year, but due to the health crisis, there have been plenty of delays. Tata HBX is now expected to launch in India close to the Diwali festive season, and as per the latest reports, its production has already begun.
Thanks to the abundance of spy pictures, we have a fairly good idea of the vehicle’s design. The exterior of the HBX will closely resemble the concept car, with a few changes here and there. Ahead of its official reveal, we have digitally rendered the Tata micro-SUV in multiple colours – Dark Blue, Light Blue, Bright Red, and Black. All of these are dual-tone paint options, with a golden-finished roof.
The dual-tone paint options on the final-production model likely won’t get a golden roof; a black or white roof option is more probable. This rendering uses the pre-production version as the base, which sports a set of bespoke alloy wheels, knobby tyres, a large roof rack, and a roof-mounted spare wheel.
The production-spec Tata HBX will feature a different set of alloy wheels (dual-tone) and regular street tyres. A roof rack might be available as an accessory, which would be quite cool. The vehicle is designed on the brand’s Impact 2.0 design philosophy, and gets Tata Harrier-inspired split headlamps at the front.
Other noticeable design details include black plastic cladding all around, C-pillar-integrated rear door handles, tri-arrow-shaped LED taillights, and a roof-mounted spoiler. In the cabin, the vehicle will come with a free-standing touchscreen infotainment system and a multi-function steering wheel, and features like automatic climate control, rear AC vents, all power windows, etc., will be available.
Tata will pay attention to the safety aspect as well, just like with all its other cars, and we expect the HBX to get a good Global NCAP crash test rating. Under the hood, the Tata micro-SUV is expected to get a 1.2-litre, naturally aspirated, inline-3 petrol engine, with 86 PS and 113 Nm on tap. Transmission options will likely consist of a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT.
