Tata HBX Concept
ALFA architecture Micro-SUV, smaller than Nexon Production ready Launch in a few months
AT 3.8 METRES IN LENGTH, HBX SLOTS INTO A NEW MICROSUV SEGMENT
TATA MOTORS’ IS ON A transformational journey. Fans can even call it revolutionary. Right from the Nexon that was the first Indian car to score a 5-star safety rating at the Global NCAP crash tests to the rugged Harrier, and the sleek and stylish Altroz, Tata Motors is adding much needed desirability to its line-up. The Sierra concept, of course, sparked nostalgia and stole the show at the Auto Expo 2020, but there was another important SUV standing next to it and this you will be able to buy very soon.
The HBX concept slots into a new microSUV segment that has caught the fancy of carmakers, and for a change, Tata Motors is firmly in step with the trend. The concept shown at the Auto Expo is ready for production and save for the chunky off-road wheels, roof rack and bash plates, this is what the final production car will look like. In fact, the HBX is not too far off the H2X concept showcased at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, showing just how close to reality Tata Motors’ new concepts are.
Based on the Impact 2.0 design language, the HBX borrows plenty of design cues from the Harrier, chiefly the slim LED DRL eyebrows and the headlamps integrated into the bumper. More than anything else this gives the little
HBX a serious SUV vibe, further accentuated by the plastic cladding all around, large skid plates, strong shoulder line and the squaredoff wheelarches that are reminiscent of what Jeep is doing. At the rear the striking, angular taillamps cut a distinct visual signature. The knobby tyres on the concept won’t make their way to the production version, nor will the roof rack while the ground clearance will be reduced to something more sensible.
“HBX in its super compact footprint, was one of the most difficult to design,” says Pratap
Bose, VP, global design at Tata Motors of the 3.8-metre long micro-SUV that is based on the new ALFA architecture from the Altroz. It will get the 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated petrol already seen in the Altroz and we don’t expect it to be offered with a diesel. The 1.2 turbo-petrol will come along in due course, as will the AMT transmission. We sat inside the concept and it did not feel cramped, something that will bode well for the little Tata when it goes on sale in a few months. And as for rivals, apart from the KUV 100, this could be in a class of its own.