The upcoming Tata HBX will be underpinned by the same ALFA platform as the Altroz, and will borrow its 1.2L petrol engine as well
Tata Motors has a lot of cars lined-up for launch in India. These include the Gravitas, HBX, and Altroz Turbo. The first one mentioned will have its launch in the coming months, expected in November, while there is no confirmation for the launch window of the last one. The one remaining, i.e., the HBX, is expected to launch sometime during the beginning of the next fiscal year (FY2020-21).
Recently, another test model of the upcoming Tata HBX was spied during a road test. While the test mule itself was wearing full-body camouflage, its alloy wheels were completely naked. While the design of these wheels is the same as on the Tata Altroz, the ones on the HBX don’t have the dual-tone, machine-cut finish. In this spy pic, we also see that the front wheels get disc brakes, while drum brakes are employed at the rear.
Other than that, the silhouette of the vehicle is clearly visible here. The mini-SUV looks quite proportionate, even with its relatively small dimensions. Through the camouflage, we also see that the wheel arches get plastic cladding. There is also a small roof-mounted spoiler at the back, with a stop lamp as well integrated into it.
It seems like the production-spec HBX’s rear door-handles will be integrated into the C-pillars, just like on the Altroz. We had seen this design on the concept version as well, which was showcased at the Auto Expo 2020. The taillights and LED DRLs will be LED units, although we’re not sure about the main headlamps.
The concept car also had a roof-mounted rack with a spare wheel on it, which won’t be present on the production model. However, there will be silver-painted bash plates for the front and rear bumpers, to give a butch, SUV-ish look to this little crossover hatchback. Its direct competitors in the Indian market will be the Ford Freestyle, Mahindra KUV100, and Maruti Ignis.
Powering the Tata HBX will be the 1.2-litre, naturally aspirated, inline-3, ‘Revotron’ petrol motor. This engine generates a peak power and torque of 86 PS and 113 Nm, and will come paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox. There might be a 5-speed AMT option on offer as well. Tata doesn’t offer diesel engines on its smaller passenger cars anymore, so the HBX might not get a diesel variant. We expect the price to range from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi).