Last Updated on March 19, 2022 by Ali
At the Auto Expo in Delhi in February last year, the HBX was a baby SUV concept
that caught the attention of Tata Motors’ stall. HBX is Tata Motors’ flagship entry
into the micro SUV market. Tata Motors is all set to launch the HBX SUV ready for
sale in over a year.
TATA PUNCH
Tata Motors has given the name ‘Punch’ to its baby SUV, saying goodbye to the
concept name ‘HBX’. Tata Motors said in a statement that the Punch is the first
vehicle to be launched on the Alpha-Arc (Agile Lite Flexible Advanced Architecture)
platform developed as part of the Impact 2.0 design version launched by Harrier.
Tata Motors has also released the first image of its Punch SUV.
While the HBX concept is presented as a lifestyle micro SUV concept with a sleek
look, the punch is presented in a way that emphasizes practicality. At the same time,
it is noteworthy that Tata has not made the significant changes that are happening
to concept models.
Features
Tata Motors has released a picture that reveals the front and the
side. From this, it is clear that the Punch SUV incorporates components of the
concept model such as the split headlamp cluster and the Humanity Line. The front
bumper of the concept, which usually has larger skid plates, is fitted with plastic
cladding at the same time as the punch. Tata Motors’ new tri-arrow air dam is also
fitted on the bumper. The SUV has plastic cladding on all four sides to enhance the
look. Other attractions include dual-tone to give the roof a floating effect, black for
the pillars, and 16-inch alloy wheels in the new design.
Interior
Tata Motors has not released any pictures of the interior. At the same time, Tata’s
baby SUV will have a premium interior with a 7.0-inch floating infotainment
touchscreen with connectivity to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, if the interior of
the concept model is the same as the exterior. Features such as a three-spoke flatbottom steering wheel, HVAC controls, and a part-digital instrument cluster with
a digital tachometer and analog speedometer will be borrowed from Punch Tata’s
Altroz.
Engine and Price
The heart of the Tata HBX will be the 1.2-liter three-cylinder Revotron petrol
engine borrowed from Tata Ultras, which produces 86bhp of power and 114Nm of
torque. The gearbox will be a 5-speed manual. Tata Punch is also expected in the
AMT automatic gearbox.
Tata Punch’s rivals include Maruti Suzuki Ignis, Renault Quid Climber and
Mahindra KUV100. Tata Punch is also challenging Hyundai’s Casper Micro SUV.
Tata Punch is also a competitor to entry-level compact SUVs like Nissan Magnite
and Renault Kigger. Tata Punch is expected to start at around Rs 5 lakh.
Mansoor Ali, a Feature Writer, embarked on his journey five years ago with showroomex.com, fueled by his enthusiasm for cars. Starting as an eager journalist, he quickly became a seasoned professional, expanding his expertise to cover both bikes and cars. (Full Bio)