In February, it was reported that Tata Motors is working on a Hyundai Creta rivaling model codenamed 'Blackbird'. According to reliable Team-BHP forum member RavenAvi, the Tata Blackbird is being benchmarked against the Chery Tiggo 5x, a Chinese SUV that is sold in other emerging markets as well.
The Chinese-spec Chery Tiggo 5x measures 4,358 mm in length, 1,830 mm in width and 1,670 mm in height. It has a 2,630 mm wheelbase. Under the hood, there's a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine producing 85 kW (115 PS) and 141 Nm of torque. This engine sends drive to the wheels via a standard 5-speed manual transmission or an optional CVT.
In the initial stage, the Tata Blackbird was going to be developed on the JLR-derived Omega-Arc platform initially, but the plan was scrapped because it wasn't feasible because of technical reasons and also the high costs involved. Now, the in-house developed Advanced Modular Platform (AMP) or Alfa-Arc is going to underpin this premium B-SUV. The Tata Blackbird is expected to measure 4.2 metres in length. It will be the first AMP product with its length not restricted to 4,000 mm, which is one of the things Indian automakers do in ICE-powered models for lower GST.
The Tata Blackbird will likely be offered with a more powerful version of Tata Nexon’s 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine and an upgraded version of the same model's 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine. A mild-hybrid or pure electric variant may follow at a later stage, depending on what the market demands.
Also See: 2020 Tata Tigor (facelift) - IAB Rendering
Positioned between the Tata Nexon and the Tata Harrier, the Tata Blackbird will reach showrooms in 2021. SUVs are killing sedans globally, they say, and at Tata Motors, this has led to the X452 (Altroz's sedan version) being ditched in favour of the Blackbird. The company had to choose between the two, and with the Indian market also seeing the SUV boom, it had to go for the Blackbird. Read more on that here.
*ex-showroom
[Source - Team-BHP.com]
