The production iteration of the Tata Hornbill Micro-SUV concept will compete against the likes of Maruti’s Concept Future S and the Mahindra KUV100.
The craze for SUV inspired body design which first started in India with sub-compact and compact vehicles has now trickled down to cars placed in segments below. This first led to automakers launching the crossover iterations of their premium hatchbacks and eventually vehicles designed specifically to look like an SUV but feature the traits of a hatchback. These are called as micro-SUVs, the first of which was the Mahindra KUV100 and soon there will be the Maruti Concept Future S and the Tata Hornbill.
Talking about the later, the same has been the topic of a number of speculations lately. The Hornbill is the codename for the homegrown automaker’s micro-SUV which is expected to launch in India soon. A recent report published in Autocar India states that we are going to see the concept iteration of the same at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show to be held in the month of March this year.
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The production iteration of the Tata Hornbill is expected to make its debut during the 2020 Auto Expo in India. After which, it will have it official launch in India the same year. This new micro-SUV will be placed below the Nexon in Tata Motors model line-up in India. And it will compete against the likes of Mahindra KUV100 and the upcoming Concept Future S based micro-SUV from Maruti Suzuki. As a result of this, we expect it to sport a price tag of INR 5 lakh to INR 7 lakh (ex-showroom).
It is quite early to comment on the engine specifications of the Tata Hornbill but it is likely that the same will only get a petrol derivative in its line-up. It could get the BS-VI complaint iteration of Tata Motors’s 1.2-litre, Revotron engine. Transmission options will include a 5-speed manual gearbox in addition to an 5-speed AMT unit. The reason why we believe that there is going to be no diesel engine is because of the relatively high prices of BS-VI complaint diesel engine making no sense in a budget offering.
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Though the Tata Hornbill might skip on the diesel engine, it will not skip on offering any features or creature comforts. Top-spec iterations of this Micro-SUV is likely to include features such as projector headlamps, alloy wheels, a touchscreen infotainment system among others. The safety equipment list is also expected to be quite decent as it will include dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors as standard fitments.
