Tata’s Maruti Suzuki Wagon R rivalling hatchback could be launched in the coming years based on Altroz’s platform
Tata Motors has lined up a slew of new products for the new year which includes the Altroz premium hatchback, facelifted Tiago and Tigor, the electric version of Nexon, etc. The homegrown manufacturer focusses on two platforms to spawn the new models in the near future as the ALFA and OMEGA architectures hold plenty of weight.
The ALFA (Agile Light Flexible Advanced) platform caters for the volume segments and is extremely crucial in the brand’s aspiration of sustained growth in the coming years. The modular base is flexible enough to give rise to vehicles of different body styles and sizes and it can adopt various powertrain options such as hybrid and electric.
The upcoming Tata vehicles having lengths between 3.7 metres and 4.3 metres will sit on the ALFA platform as the company aims to cover more than 90 per cent of the addressable volume spaces. The Altroz will come onboard on January 22, 2020 rivalling Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Hyundai Elite i20 and others and is the first model based on the ALFA platform.
Subsequently, the H2X concept based micro SUV reportedly dubbed the Hornbill will enter the domestic market to compete against Maruti Suzuki S-Presso. It is also underpinned by ALFA and could be showcased in its near-production form at the 2020 Auto Expo. In addition, the architecture will give birth to an affordable hatchback rivalling Maruti Suzuki Wagon R.
This could be a significant product for Tata considering that only Tiago and Nexon are performing well in sales. It may have several commonalities with the H2X micro SUV including the powertrain, which is expected to be the 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine with BSVI compliance.
To offer a wide buying choice, it could be mated to either a five-speed manual or a five-speed AMT. The H2X (or Hornbill), as well as the Wagon R competitor, could prove to be a massive step forward for Tata as they have the potential to rack in good volumes. As has been the case, Tata could play the aggressive pricing game sensibly with these models too.
*Images are representational