[Aditya]

Mod Note: Our Nexon Report has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

Tata Motors had displayed a concept compact SUV at the 2014 Auto Expo called the Nexon. Now, the company is rumoured to be planning a production version of the car.

The new vehicle will be based on the Zest / Bolt platform and is likely to come in both petrol and diesel versions. It is believed to be codenamed Osprey. It is being reported that the vehicle will use the same engines as the Zest and Bolt and will be available in manual and AMT variants.

Like most new Tata products, the Osprey is also expected to be loaded with features. Tata Motors might consider a seven-seater configuration for the car as well.

With this new SUV, Tata Motors will try to grab a share of the compact SUV market that is proving to be lucrative. The segment consists of vehicles such as the Ford EcoSport and the recently launched Mahindra TUV300. Marui Suzuki is also expected to jump in the fray with a new model based on the XA Alpha concept.

The Osprey is not expected to hit the market before late 2016 or early 2017.

Source: ZigWheels

[arjab]

According to a reliable birdie with knowledge of the "happenings" the styling apparently is also very nice. "Mini Evoque" is the exact phrase that was used by birdie.
Apparently a 4x4 option was also looked at, but was dropped because the existing platform, on which it is based, needs considerable re-engineering to accommodate the rear diff and its associated mountings. Thus the investment & subsequent cost escalation leading to a higher than planned sticker price would be considerable and may upset planned volumes.

[Asifgrkhan]

Originally Posted by arjab

According to a reliable birdie with knowledge of the "happenings" the styling apparently is also very nice. "Mini Evoque" is the exact phrase that was used by birdie.
Apparently a 4x4 option was also looked at, but was dropped because the existing platform, on which it is based, needs considerable re-engineering to accommodate the rear diff and its associated mountings. Thus the investment & subsequent cost escalation leading to a higher than planned sticker price would be considerable and may upset planned volumes.

The Evoque is within 10 cms of all dimensions as compared to the Creta. If Tata is making a mini Evoque, then they are going the under 4m route and it is very difficult to make a car look proportionate with those dimensions - EcoSport is the exception here.

Too curvy and it looks like an overgrown hatch and too square and it will look like the TUV - neither of which IMHO, will sell in volumes needed by Tata.

[gaurav_3000ad]

However hard I try not to be a cynic, in the end all tata concepts end up looking like the indicas when they reach production.

Time to exorcise some demons tata.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Asifgrkhan

The Evoque is within 10 cms of all dimensions as compared to the Creta. If Tata is making a mini Evoque, ...

The words "Mini Evoque" would be just a description to give an idea of the upcoming vehicle. It would not indicate any deeper relationship to the Evoque itself. Hence (further) comparisons would not be apt ..

[speedmiester]

Tata's time to market a new product is ridiculously long. By the time they launch this SUV, the market would have moved on to the next big thing. Prove us wrong and bring in the SUV to the market at acceptable timelines.

[pamiboy]

Originally Posted by gaurav_3000ad

However hard I try not to be a cynic, in the end all tata concepts end up looking like the indicas when they reach production.

Time to exorcise some demons tata.

Absolutely true. It's the end product that matters and they really need a restart in the design department. The existing power train and technology is okay for Tata cars. Me too am a cynic when it comes to Tata's styling. However, I wish they would do it differently this time.

[GTO]

Come on guys, if there's one thing we can give Tata credit for, it's great looking cars. From the Bolt to the Safari and the Nano to the Aria, their cars have always worn nice clothes. Styling is the least of my worries when it comes to a new Tata product.

If this compact SUV is indeed using the Zest's platform, lets not forget that the Zest is based on the Vista platform...which will be 10 years old by the time that the Osprey arrives.

[aditya79india]

Originally Posted by arjab

According to a reliable birdie with knowledge of the "happenings" the styling apparently is also very nice. "Mini Evoque" is the exact phrase that was used by birdie.
Apparently a 4x4 option was also looked at, but was dropped because the existing platform, on which it is based, needs considerable re-engineering to accommodate the rear diff and its associated mountings. Thus the investment & subsequent cost escalation leading to a higher than planned sticker price would be considerable and may upset planned volumes.

Did the reliable birdie also mention if they would launch it in AutoExpo next year or will they just show a more evolved concept?

Exclusive : Tata Nexon compact SUV details partly revealed

That the new Tata Nexon compact SUV will be sub-4 meter in length is common knowledge; however, there are some more interesting, juicier bits which have been revealed to us. To start with, the Nexon will feature a floating-type roof with black pillars, for a premium, urban, upmarket look. The new compact cross will get a nice, aggressively squat stance with chrome embellishments. For e.g. chrome beadings on the window sills.

The key visual highlight of the Nexon will be the wide array of customization options, including contrasting colour combinations for roof and body along with body kits. The new car will have some resemblance with the upcoming Hexa crossover up front though it will be sharper and edgier than any Tata model that has seen production till date. The Nexon will ride on 16 inch wheels for the top spec model.

Unlike some of its competitors like the TUV300 and the Ecosport, the Nexon will not have a tail-mounted spare wheel. It will instead have its spare wheel stowed under the floor. The upcoming vehicle may adopt a 7-seat layout, especially in view of the success of the TUV300 owing to the flexibility it offers in terms of seating capacity.

with reference to the above report I feel that the power gap between petrol and diesel variants would be too high. Also no mention of the new 1.5 Ltr, 110bhp diesel engine that Tata was developing. Most probably, the engines on offer would be the new 1.5 Ltr, 110bhp diesel & the uprated 120bhp 1.2Ltr revotron turbo petrol from the Bolt Sport concept.

[swiftdiesel]

If it was the 1.3 MJD that Tata's considering, then they may as well shelve the product cos it'd be going with a knife to a gun fight. They were never known for weight management and if it weighs like a truck (which I guess it will), the power to weight results would be disastrous!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by swiftdiesel

They were never known for weight management and if it weighs like a truck (which I guess it will), the power to weight results would be disastrous!

Tata's body-on-frame UVs (Sumo, Safari) are too fat & heavy, just like the Mahindra UVs.

Their monocoque cars, however, aren't much off the mark. As an example, the Bolt diesel weighs 70 kilos more than the Swift. The Osprey is a monocoque.

[hybridpetrol]

Looks are important for the compact UV buyers. This segment buyers need comfort, and stylish looks to impress their peers.
My personal opinion about compact SUV is that, since they are less than 4m, they should be 5 seaters with good comfort. Trying to add 2 more seats within 4m space will actually make the product less worthy as it will not be as comfortable as MPVs such as Ertiga.
Particularly I mention this for Tata because they have been known to stick to plain designs in order to maximize interior space. Ecosport is a hit because it looks stylish in the first place before all other comforts.
Consider Bolt, it has superior interior comfort, has all modern features, but the sales figures tell different story. I believe one of the important reason is its plain design.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by Aditya

..
The Osprey is not expected to hit the market before late 2016 or early 2017..

Considering thats not too far away in auto development-speak, Tata must have been chipping away on this project for a quite some time now. And this is the first anyone has ever heard of it - atleast with this much conviction!

Must be a highly strategic, closeted project - Tata probably has a lot riding on the success of this product.

[adimicra]

I say this on record that unless Tata moves away from the Indica/Vista design language, all their cars are going to fail.
The Zest is a highly competent product but the Indica/Vista hangover is very evident which is one of the reasons the car has failed to set the sales charts on fire apart from Tata's own poor 'taxi' brand image.

[volkman10]

2016 Tata Osprey Spied codenamed as ‘X104′.

This is the first compact SUV from Tata Motors to enter in sub 4 meter category market.
The front grille is smiling type just like Tata Zica and wheel arches are bulged to give a big SUV feeling. The bonnet will be similar to Zica design language which also matches with Tata Motors new design philosophy.
The dashboard of the Osprey looks very similar to recently launched Zica and also the steering is same. Tata Motors will have a common platform for this car and Zica and Sway siblings. The interiors of the vehicle will share lots of parts with Zica and Sway.

http://www.autocolumn.com/scoop-2016-tata-osprey-spied/