As Tata Motors continues testing the Tata Q501 in
India, another batch of spy shots has surfaced online, courtesy Team-BHP. As
before, the test mules were disguised as a Land Rover Discovery Sport.
The Tata Q501 is underpinned by the Land Rover
Discovery Sport’s platform. Not just the platform, this model will share some
suspension components and many of the structural elements too with the Land
Rover Discovery Sport. The Land Rover offering is available in 5- and 7-seat
seating layouts, and similarly, Tata Motors will offer its model based on it in
5- and 7-seat versions.
Tata Motors is rigorously testing the Tata Q501 in
the Land Rover Discovery Sport body. According to the car spotter, one of the
test mules, both of which had disc brakes on all four wheels, had around
1,77,000 km reading on the odometer. It had a MID similar to that of the Tata
Nexon. The Tata Q501 will likely employ the locally produced 2.0-litre diesel
engine that powers the Jeep Compass currently. Tata Motors will source 70,000
units of this engine from FCA India.
The Tata Q501 will arrive towards the end of 2018,
likely with a starting price falling in the INR 15-20 lakh (ex-showroom)
bracket. It will compete with the likes of Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson, Honda
CR-V and VW Tiguan.