According to a report on the Economic Times, Tata Motors has already set up two fabrication lines in its Pune plant to accommodate the upcoming Tata Harrier SUV and the Tata X451 (codename) premium hatchback. Tata Motors is gearing up to launch the Harrier in the first quarter of the calendar year 2019, and trial production is to start at the end of this year.
As reported earlier, the Harrier will roll off the same production line used by the now discontinued Tata Indica, with some heavy changes having been made to this assembly line. It will have automation levels as high as 85 percent, reportedly.
While Tata engineers are doing the final road testing of the Harrier around India, the marketing team is working on a digital configurator, which will allow Harrier buyers to choose the engine and gearbox combination, brakes, suspension type, seating configuration and other accessories. Tata will also increase its showroom presence in India with 2,000 touchpoints planned by 2022.
Inspired by the Tata H5X concept, the Harrier will be the first product on Tata's new modular OMEGA platform. Derived from the Land Rover D8 platform, the Harrier will be available with 2WD and 4WD options, with the latter being a newly developed system.
Tata X451's (Maruti Baleno rival) interior spied for the first time
Power for the Tata Harrier will come from FCA's 2.0-liter MultiJet II four-cylinder diesel engine paired to a 6-speed manual or a Hyundai sourced 6-speed automatic, reportedly. It is expected to develop 140 PS on the Harrier, and 170 PS on the future H7X (the three-row 7-seat variant of the Harrier expected around 2020).
[Source - EconomicTimes.com]
