With customers increasingly shifting towards automatics for the convenience they offer in the city, the upcoming Tata Harrier was always expected to have such an option. According to a report from Autocar India, it will use a Hyundai-sourced 6-speed AT.
The Jeep Compass' FCA-made 9-speed AT was deemed too expensive for the Tata H5X, and according to the report, that’s indeed the case. So instead, Tata Motors has decided to source a 6-speed gearbox from Hyundai, possibly the same unit as the Hyundai Creta.
Under the hood, the D8 platform-based SUV will have FCA’s 2.0-litre MultiJet II turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine.
“The Hyundai transmission is well suited to the power and torque characteristics of the 2.0-litre Fiat diesel, and is significantly cheaper than the FCA transmission, so it made more sense for us to use it,” a Tata Motors source told the magazine recently. Interestingly the larger Tata Hexa sources an automatic transmission from General Motors.
Not just the Tata Harrier (codename: Tata H5X), its 7-seat version codenamed Tata H7X will also use the Hyundai-sourced 6-speed automatic transmission. Both models will get a 6-speed manual transmission in the lower grades. The 5-seat version will employ a 140 hp version of the 2.0-litre diesel engine, while the 7-seat version will sport a 170 hp version of the same.
Also See: Tata Harrier interior spy shots reveal new details & features
Tata Motors has confirmed that it will launch the Harrier in the first quarter of 2019 (January-March 2019). The Tata Harrier is expected to start at INR 12 lakh to lock horns with the Hyundai Creta and Jeep Compass variants.
Tata Harrier - Image Gallery (IAB Renderings)
[Source: autocarindia.com]
