2021 is going to be a busy year for Tata Motors, as the homegrown carmaker has a lot of new vehicles arriving this year
Last year was quite eventful for Tata Motors; the Indian manufacturer managed to gain a lot of popularity among buyers, which helped it climb to the third position in the Indian car market in 2020. This year, the company will be introducing a few new vehicles in India, along with new variants of their existing cars, to catch the buyers’ fancy.
Here, we have listed the top nine Tata vehicles that are either scheduled to launch this year, or are expected to do so.
1. Tata Altroz i-Turbo
Tata Motors will launch the turbo-petrol variant of the Altroz hatchback, named ‘i-Turbo’, on 22nd January 2021, exactly one year after the initial launch of the Altroz in the Indian market. It will be powered by the same 1.2-litre, inline-3, turbocharged petrol as the Nexon, but detuned to produce a slightly lower output (110 PS and 140 Nm).
2. New Tata Safari
On 26th January 2021, Tata Motors will be launching the new-generation Safari. The 2021 Safari is the three-row version of the Harrier, and will be available in 6- and 7-seat configurations. It will have a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine under the hood, with 170 PS and 350 Nm on tap, which can be paired to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission.
3. Tata HBX (Hornbill)
Tata Motors will launch the HBX micro-SUV in India very soon, expectedly by mid-2021. The car is expected to be powered by the same 1.2-litre, inline-3, naturally aspirated petrol engine as the Tiago and Tigor. Also, there’s a possibility that the 1.2L turbo-petrol motor from the Altroz i-Turbo will make its way under the hood of the HBX.
4. Tata Altroz DCT
Currently, a 5-speed manual gearbox is the only transmission option available on the Altroz, be it the petrol or the diesel variants. However, that will change soon, as Tata’s premium hatchback is expected to get a dual-clutch transmission before the end of this year. This new DCT (which will be a wet-plate, 7-speed unit) will only be available on the ‘i-Turbo’ variant though, and not on the NA petrol or turbo-diesel models.
5. Tata Nexon DCT
Along with the Altroz, the Nexon is also expected to get a new dual-clutch gearbox option this year. Test models of the Nexon have been spied on road tests several times, which has fuelled speculations about the DCT. Currently, the SUV is available with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox, which are available on both the engine options – 1.2L turbo-petrol (120 PS and 170 Nm) and 1.5L turbo-diesel (110 PS and 260 Nm).
6. Tata Altroz EV
There is yet another version of the Altroz which is expected to launch this year – Altroz EV. The electric Altroz will be the third EV in the company’s lineup, after Tigor EV and Nexon EV. Tata Motors recently announced that it will focus on making electric cars affordable in India, which is why the price of the Altroz EV is expected to be only slightly more expensive than the regular Altroz.
7. Tata Tigor EV Facelift
Tata Tigor was facelifted a year ago in the Indian market, but the updates didn’t make their way to its electric version back then. We expect the Tigor EV to get a facelift later this year, which will bring its styling in line with the current Tigor. The powertrain, consisting of a 21.5 kWh battery and a 30 kW electric motor, will probably remain unchanged.
8. Tata Tiago EV
We also expect Tata Motors to debut an electric version of the Tiago, to be a more affordable option to the Tigor EV. Of course, the styling and equipment will be the same as the regular Tiago. As for the powertrain, it may get the same one as the Tigor EV, or perhaps a smaller battery-motor combo for better affordability.
9. Tata Hexa BS6
Tata Hexa was discontinued last year, just before the BS6 emission norms kicked in. Buyers have been waiting for the vehicle’s return in a BS6-compliant avatar since. The Hexa BS6 has been spied multiple times during road testing, and we expect its launch to happen during the second half of this year.