TATA NEXON



The compact SUV segment is growing fast in India and Tata also wants to make its presence felt there. With their plans of launching two new products every year till 2020, they will get their compact SUV concept, Nexon, which they displayed at the 2014 Auto Expo. We can expect the manufacturer to launch the vehicle by the end of 2015 or early 2016 since the company is concentrating on the mass market offerings first. This means the new compact SUV might be brought in only after the Kite hatchback and sedan are introduced to the market.


Tata's Nexon is based on the X1 platform which also underpins the Zest sedan and Bolt hatchback. The car gets a futuristic design setting the car apart from its current siblings. The production version of the car is expected to borrow styling cues from this concept that sports LED headlamps and tail lamps, and might be toned down a bit. The Nexon measures four metres in length, 1.73 metres in width and 1.6 metres in height and has a wheelbase of 2.54 metres. The vehicle has a high ground clearance along with the large alloy wheels.


Codenamed X104, the report states that the Nexon will have a sharply tapering roofline, which may affect its rear seat space, but is supposed to appeal on the styling front nonetheless. To give it a butch stance, the Nexon will ride on large 17-inch wheels with wheel arches having suitably been enlarged to accommodate them.


The futuristic design in the external appearance has been carried over to the cabin of the Nexon as well. The interior features an intelligent human interface system with a full width instrument cluster and a floating console. It will also use the ConnectNext technology that Tata has developed with Samsung. However, we are not sure what all features will make it to the final production version though.

Based on the Vista’s platform, which also underpins the Tata Zest and Bolt, the Nexon would share components such as the steering, suspension and some interior parts with these cars. The Nexon would not share the 1.2-liter petrol and 1.3-liter diesel engines that powers the Zest and Bolt though.


Instead, the diesel engine is reported to be a 1.5-liter unit matched to a new 6-speed manual transmission with an expected power output of 110 bhp. The petrol, would be a new all-aluminium, three-cylinder 1.2-liter engine capable of about 75 bhp. The top speed of the vehicle is claimed as 180 kph.

Tata will up the competition if they price the Nexon in the range of Rs 6.5 - 9 lakh. It will go up against the Ford EcoSport, Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano,the upcoming Maruti Suzuki S-Cross SX4 and Hyundai's i20-based crossover.