Tata Motors is planning to launch its upcoming Altroz soon with a diesel-only engine option. Many other carmakers are planning to ditch the diesel engine on their sub-4-metre cars, as upgrading them to the stringent BSVI norms is proving costly, plus the diesel engine cars in that segment are low in demand and it doesn’t balance the scales.
The engine powering the Altroz is believed to be a slightly detuned version of the Tata Nexon’s 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel motor producing 110 PS of power and 260 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed AMT gearbox. The detuned version is speculated to produce 93 PS of power and 210 Nm of torque and will be coupled to a 5-speed manual instead of the 6-speed gearbox on the Tata Nexon.
The petrol engine which is expected to come on the Altroz, at a later stage, is speculated to be the Nexon’s 1.2-litre turbocharged Revotron petrol engine capable of producing 110 PS of power and 170 Nm of torque. This engine will also be slightly detuned to produce 102 PS of power and 140 Nm of torque matched to a 5-speed transmission.
Based on the 45X concept, which was showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo, the Altroz hatchback has not strayed much from its original design. It is the second car from the Tata stable to follow the manufacturers ‘Impact Design 2.0’ design language which is used on the Tata Harrier SUV as well. The hatchback is expected to feature 16-inch alloy wheels, projector headlamps, touchscreen infotainment system with AppleCarPlay and Android Auto integration, semi-digital coloured instrumentation cluster and more. The Altroz has its underpinnings from Tata’s in-house ALFA (Agile Light Flexible Advanced) architecture, a modern-day platform which is flexible enough to accommodate different body styles and engine types.
The Tata Altroz is likely to be priced at around INR 5.5 – 9 lakh ex-showroom, India and is likely to be launched in July this year. The Tata Altroz will rival the likes of the Honda Jazz, the Hyundai Elite i20 and the Maruti Suzuki Baleno.