[pgsagar]

I hope Nexon will be game-changer for Tata. Just as Swift was for Maruti back in 2005. Remember? By 2004, Maruti was tired and jaded, peddling Esteems, Zens and the like and Hyundai and Tata Motors (with its Indica) were weighing on Maruti. Maruti's market share was falling and then Swift happened. It was like Maruti hit an NOS button. It left its rivals in the rear view mirror and there is no looking back. Tata fell by the way side, while Hyundai grew.

Similarly, Nexon, I'm sure will resurrect Tata. Provided they launch while the mini-SUV market is still hot. Every month's delay on part of Tata Motors sees some thousands of Brezzas and Cretas hitting road, unchallenged. Come on, Tata, launch Nexon by Deepawali. Put everything else on hold.

[DriveOnceMore]

I think with this launch, Tata Motors wants to offer a 'Kwid' of premium hatchback segment. Mechanicals of a hatchback packed in an SUV-inspired shell.
All the best TML

[Latheesh]

We spotted a Hexa inside their anechoic chamber during Pune plant visit sometime in Sept-2014. Here we are in July 2016 and no sign of Hexa launch. Same is the case with Kite 5 and Nexon, no sign of launch.

Most probably Kite 5 will come around beginning/mid of next year, Hexa around late next year, and Nexon in 2018/19.

This X451, may be sometime in 2019/20. These kind of delay in new product introduction is costing them big. TATA Motors is slow like a sloth when it comes to new product launches.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by GTO

I'm going to go against the tide here.

The premium hatchback segment is fiercely competitive. The Elite i20 is the benchmark in terms of quality; Maruti still found its place with the Baleno which is enjoying fantastic sales. Global majors like Honda, Toyota & VW have - at best - had moderate success with big hatchbacks. Things are only going to get more competitive. One advantage that MNCs have is the R&D cost for a premium hatchback (e.g. i20, Jazz) being justified by sales in many countries. Compare that to Tata which only has India to depend on for sales. The R&D budget will be much less compared to what VW will spend on the next-gen Polo (as an example).

On the flipside, the development and set up costs would not be as high and while Tata still has some way to go before they can launch a globally competitive car to the likes of Polo, i20 and Swift they arent very far either. They can recoup the cost if they are able to sell in more asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia or even Australia. One thing that works in Tata's favor is that a car designed to survive in India can basically survive anywhere else. All they need to spend their resources is on finesse or refinement.

They cannot be a global manufacturer if they went into a project with only Indian sales in mind. If they want to be globally competitive they have to think global.

[srishiva]

Want to know what makes Tata take eternity to launch a vehicle. Is it self-doubt from product placement perceptive or the products perform badly during tests that they need so much time to redo it to make it production ready ?

Either way, it doesn't project a confident car maker which could be a result of how they have fared in the market and how they have been accepted.

[aravind.anand]

There is a better looking rendering from indianautosblog now. And the car is still visualized to be a premium hatch - not a cross-over or pseudo SUV... Still looks good to my eyes, except the fact that the person who has rendered this, got a little too carried away and put the rear door opening handle outside the door itself

[Avinash_R]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

There is a better looking rendering from indianautosblog now. And the car is still visualized to be a premium hatch - not a cross-over or pseudo SUV... Still looks good to my eyes, except the fact that the person who has rendered this, got a little too carried away and put the rear door opening handle outside the door itself

Attachment 1527879

Think the door handle is done like the Chevy Beat's is!

[Na_sh]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

.... got a little too carried away and put the rear door opening handle outside the door itself

Attachment 1527879

This seems to be an interesting concept! Door handle on C Pillar.. The latch mechanism seems to be integrated on the body instead of the door. Exactly opposite of how it is usually.

[kaviprem]

Originally Posted by Na_sh

This seems to be an interesting concept! Door handle on C Pillar.. The latch mechanism seems to be integrated on the body instead of the door. Exactly opposite of how it is usually.

One genuine question - How do you pull out the door if its on the body ?

Prem.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

That is a superb design!! If the actual product comes anywhere close to this design, TATA would have another winner!
BTW, I love the way the bonnet is slopping and that aggressive looking front end from sides!

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by Avinash_R

Think the door handle is done like the Chevy Beat's is!

Originally Posted by Na_sh

This seems to be an interesting concept! Door handle on C Pillar.. The latch mechanism seems to be integrated on the body instead of the door. Exactly opposite of how it is usually.

Originally Posted by kaviprem

One genuine question - How do you pull out the door if its on the body ?

Prem.

I think Kaviprem asked what I would have asked... I know the handle on the pillar concept from the Beat and the KUV100, but this is not even on the movable portion of the door. So you can release the door, but not pull it open.

And yes, this apart the car looks amazing, and this design will work for the segment it would be fighting in

[Viju]

Originally Posted by singh.saab

Digital mock up of the Tata X451 (code name) ahead of its launch in financial year 2017-18.

A 'Digital Mock-Up' or DMU in Engineering terminology is a mock-up of the actual vehicle model in CAD, and done by R&D divisions of OEMs. This is a rendering by an enthusiast who is a good digital artist, and also a member here. It has nothing to do with the digital mock-up.

Originally Posted by Avinash_R

Think the door handle is done like the Chevy Beat's is!

Originally Posted by Na_sh

This seems to be an interesting concept! Door handle on C Pillar.

Originally Posted by kaviprem

One genuine question - How do you pull out the door if its on the body ?

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

That is a superb design!! If the actual product comes anywhere close to this design, TATA would have another winner!

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

So you can release the door, but not pull it open.

Guys, it is just a rendering based on assumptions by an artist. I think he just made a mistake with the door handle positioning. Don't read too much into it. I doubt the vehicle will look anything like this or whether Tata has even made a prototype vehicle yet!

[volkman10]

With the alliance with VW officially announced, Tata premium hatch Project X51 likely to be the first product benefiting from it.

The X451 could also underpin the next-gen VW Polo for emerging markets and mark the return of the Skoda Fabia to India.

Expect a 2019 launch!

Link

[VVP]

I hope TATA provides the mediocre enthusiast like me with a vista sized hatch in polo fit and finish carrying the RACEMO engine tech. Too much to wish for??? I would love to buy one which will be the real answer to abarths and VWs own GTIs at the same time I won't be feeling claustrophobic.

[RavenAvi]

Some info on the upcoming X451 project by one of my birdies:

- Production will start from August onwards for this Baleno/i20 rival from the Tata stable.

- Test mules of the X451 (hatch & sedan) are already on the roads.

- Launch expected sometime in the first quarter of FY2018-19.


Also,

- Don't expect the Tigor AMT to be launched anytime soon.

- Most of the dealer feedback received in company surveys claims that most customers who walk in to buy Tigor end up buying the Tiago instead. Tata is looking into this and is expected to do something about it soon.

- Rumours circulating between company suppliers is that every Tata vehicle rolling out from the Sanand facility is incurring a loss. Margins are extremely thin for the Tiago/Tigor twins. Moreover, to keep prices competitive, poor quality steel and compromised child parts have been used in these cars.