Rumoured to be called Hornbill, the upcoming Tata HBX is expected to hit showrooms in mid-2021
Tata HBX has been spotted on numerous occasions over the past few months. It was first showcased as a pre-production concept earlier this year. Upon its launch, it will enter the small UV segment which has cars like Maruti Ignis, S-Presso, Mahindra KUV100.
Images of HBX have surfaced online once again when a test mule of the upcoming UV was spotted testing somewhere near Pune. As usual, the test spec was under camouflage although its front end was clearly visible this time, thus revealing new details.
Exterior Styling
From the images of the model showcased at the biennial auto event it is clear that HBX aka Hornbill takes serious inspiration from its elder sibling Harrier. For starters, the nose is completely taken out of Harrier with split DRLs above and a grille with Tata logo embossed upon it. It sports Tata’s Humanity Line front grille which seems to be made of a gloss black material taken from the facelifted Nexon.
The headlight cluster also looks similarly designed to that in Harrier although this particular test mule seems to feature a halogen setup rather than an LED setup. Overall, the front end looks butch like Harrier mainly due to its split headlight setup and an aggressive front bumper. A and B-pillar give it a tall-boy stance.
Earlier spy shots confirm rear of the car flaunts LED taillights, a raked windshield and a number of creases that accentuate the subcompact UVs sportiness. The overall silhouette of the mini crossover looks boxy as usual with flared-up wheel arches and features a well-defined belt line on its side profile along with a flat roof. In its previous image, it rolled on 15-inch dual-tone diamond-cut alloy wheels, however, in the latest images, it gets standard steel rims.
Designed as per Tata Motors’ Impact 2.0 design philosophy, the HBX will be the second car to be underpinned by the company’s latest ALFA architecture after Altroz. Going by the concept, the compact UV is said to measure 3840 mm in length, 1822 mm in width and 1635 mm in height although this can get altered slightly in the final production-spec model.
Expected Powertrain, Transmission Options
Speaking of its powertrain, HBX is likely to be powered by a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine which returns an output of 85 bhp and 115 Nm of peak torque. Higher-spec models might also get the option of 1.2-litre three-cylinder Revotorq turbo petrol engine, the same which powers Nexon, although it is said to be available in a different state of tune. In HBX, this unit is likely to churn out 102 bhp and 150 Nm of peak torque. Transmission duties are likely to be carried out by either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT gearbox.
Upon its launch, it will rival the likes of Maruti Suzuki S-Presso, Ignis and Mahindra KUV100. It is expected to be priced in the same range as Tiago in the sub Rs 5 lakh (ex-showroom) segment. It is expected to launch in mid-2021 following the launch of the seven-seat SUV Gravitas in early 2021.
