Tata Motors had announced a Feb 2016 launch at the concept's unveiling.
Tata Motors has been missing out on the action in the compact SUV market. The Tata Nexon concept that it showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo is still under development and according to Mayank Pareek, president, Tata Motors (passenger vehicles) it will be launched in the next fiscal. This information was given to Autocar Professional on the sidelines of the company’s Q1 earnings conference.
The compact SUV, codenamed 'Tata X104,' shares the X1 platform that is also the basis for the recently launched Zest and Bolt. The Nexon, according to an earlier report, will feature a tapering roof at the rear, large 17-inch wheels and flared wheel arches, packaged into a 4m length, with cues from the Land Rover Evoque.
The Nexon's designer, Pratap Bose, though told IAB that the production model would look mostly like the concept.
The mechanicals are expected to be different as well with power being provided by a new 1.2-liter, three-cylinder, turbocharged petrol unit generating 75 bhp. The diesel mill will also be a new 1.5-liter block producing an output of 110 bhp, and this power will be dispatched to the wheels via a newly-designed 6-speed manual gearbox. There have been no reports of a second transmission, but the 'F-Tronic' AMT from the Zest could act as one.
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Before the launch of the Nexon, Tata Motors will be introducing the Kite hatchback along with its compact sedan version which will replace the Indica and the Indigo eCS in the personal car segment, rolling out of the Nano's under-utilized factory in Sanand, Gujarat. It is also expected to showcase the showroom model of the Tata Hexa SUV at the 2016 Auto Expo.
