In February, it was reported that Tata Motors is
working on a Hyundai Creta rivaling model codenamed 'Blackbird'. According to
reliable Team-BHP forum member RavenAvi, the Tata Blackbird is being
benchmarked against the Chery Tiggo 5x, a Chinese SUV that is sold in other
emerging markets as well.
The Chinese-spec Chery Tiggo 5x measures 4,358 mm in
length, 1,830 mm in width and 1,670 mm in height. It has a 2,630 mm wheelbase.
Under the hood, there's a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine producing 115 PS and 141 Nm of torque. This engine sends drive to the wheels via
a standard 5-speed manual transmission or an optional CVT.
In the initial stage, the Tata Blackbird was going
to be developed on the JLR-derived Omega-Arc platform initially, but the plan
was scrapped because it wasn't feasible because of technical reasons and also
the high costs involved. Now, the in-house developed Advanced Modular Platform
(AMP) or Alfa-Arc is going to underpin this premium B-SUV. The Tata Blackbird
is expected to measure 4.2 metres in length. It will be the first AMP product
with its length not restricted to 4,000 mm, which is one of the things Indian
automakers do in ICE-powered models for lower GST.
The Tata Blackbird will likely be offered with a
more powerful version of Tata Nexon’s 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine and
an upgraded version of the same model's 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine. A
mild-hybrid or pure electric variant may follow at a later stage, depending on
what the market demands.
Positioned between the Tata Nexon and the Tata
Harrier, the Tata Blackbird will reach showrooms in 2021. SUVs are killing
sedans globally, they say, and at Tata Motors, this has led to the X452
(Altroz's sedan version) being ditched in favour of the Blackbird. The company
had to choose between the two, and with the Indian market also seeing the SUV
boom, it had to go for the Blackbird.
