So far, we have known that the Tata H5X will come with a 2.0-litre diesel engine. Now, a report from Autocar India says that the Tata H5X could employ a petrol engine as well. Moreover, a hybrid variant of the H5X could follow at a later stage.
With the gap between petrol and diesel prices narrowing, petrol engines have started making more sense even for SUVs. “If you look at the trends, the kind of reduction that is happening the price between diesel and petrol, the natural tendency is to go towards petrol,” Tata Motors CTO Rajendra Petkar told Autocar India recently. “Therefore, there is a play not just for diesel, but also for petrol engines,” he added talking specifically about the upcoming SUV hinting at the possibility of a petrol Tata H5X.
Later during its lifecycle, the Tata H5X could see the addition of a hybrid variant. CAFE norms will require vehicles to have 30% more fuel efficiency from 2022, and if achieving that requires introducing a hybrid powertrain, then Tata Motors will do so.
“The first phase of CAFE was implemented in 2017 and the next one is going to be there in 2022. If it’s going to be mandatory for compliance to the CAFE, and if (hybrid) supports compliance to CAFE, why not?”
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Back to the initial engine options, the Tata H5X’s 2.0-litre diesel engine is the MultiJet II unit that is already locally manufactured for the Jeep Compass. It produces 173 PS and 350 Nm of torque in the Jeep offering. It is paired with a 6-speed manual transmission or a 9-speed automatic transmission (TBA). The production version of the upcoming Tata SUV will arrive in November 2019.
[Source: Autocar India]
