[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by Vinod_nair

If Tata plans to pit this against Kiger and Magnite, AMT (from Fiat) in the HBX is not the correct move.

Well TATA is notorious to goof-up the initial launch of a suposedly good car & then launch a ‘corrected’ version 1-1.5 years later. Harrier & Altroz are classic examples; yet TATA has no plans to learn a good lesson from this.

I was truly hoping that they’ll launch the HBX atleast in the CVT guise is not say the TC. But AMT!! Sigh!

[ATRONIX]

Rajendra Petkar, CTO of Tata motors talked about the HBX being lighter in weight compared to the Altroz. So it is very likely it will inherit the engine+gearbox combo from the Tiago and people shouldn't be surprised.

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

I was truly hoping that they’ll launch the HBX atleast in the CVT guise is not say the TC. But AMT!! Sigh!

I guess the 1.2NA with AMT in Hornbill will go up against the Kiger 1.0NA AMT. It's only the turbo charged petrol in Magnite/Kiger that come mated to the CVT transmission.

Not sure if TATA plans to give us the 1.2 i-turbo with DCT in this one.

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Not sure if TATA plans to give us the 1.2 i-turbo with DCT in this one.

This will surely be a treat! A turbo motor coupled with DCT would be a hoot to drive.

I hope TML are listening. Please.

[rocketfinger]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

This will surely be a treat! A turbo motor coupled with DCT would be a hoot to drive.

I hope TML are listening. Please.

We shouldn't build any unrealistic expectations first and then bash Tata later on for not fulfilling those.

As far as I know, the price range in which HBX is going to fall into, has no other car offering CVT or TC then why would Tata bother to do that and overprice HBX out of segment range?

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by rocketfinger

We shouldn't build any unrealistic expectations first and then bash Tata later on for not fulfilling those.

As far as I know, the price range in which HBX is going to fall into, has no other car offering CVT or TC then why would Tata bother to do that and overprice HBX out of segment range?

Standing out of the crowd & making a USP for itself is the need of the hour for TATA. Else, what different has it got to offer other than the segment leader Maruti Suzuki? MS too is offering AMT’s, & people will happily choose MS cars over that of TML.

I am not building unrealistic expectations, I am just saying that TATA should have some USP of it’s own to pull the crowd & make a statement.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Standing out of the crowd & making a USP for itself is the need of the hour for TATA. Else, what different has it got to offer other than the segment leader Maruti Suzuki? MS too is offering AMT’s, & people will happily choose MS cars over that of TML..

The USP will be safety. This car is being built on the ALFA architecture, shared with the Altroz. No reason for the HBX to fare any worse in crash tests. A 5 star GNCAP rating will be a huge draw in a segment filled with tin cans.

[Mortis]

Earlier cars in this segment and lower did come with proper torque converter automatics, although the market wasn't ready for them, there's no reason why they cant make a comeback now rather than sticking to AMT. They could go for AMT in lower trim and a proper automatic in the higher trim.

What news of the supposed 1.0L TGDI engine that Tata was rumoured to be developing for this car and future cars from this category ?

[DeKay]

Originally Posted by Vinod_nair

If Tata plans to pit this against Kiger and Magnite, AMT (from Fiat) in the HBX is not the correct move.

The HBX will sit below the Nexon, while some overlap is bound to happen, I think the top variant of the HBX will be priced comfortably below the Magnite's, which is already crossing 11 lakh on road in Mumbai as of today.

[shortbread]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Else, what different has it got to offer other than the segment leader Maruti Suzuki? MS too is offering AMT’s, & people will happily choose MS cars over that of TML.

This is what maruti offers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neVAP1UCG0E

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

The USP will be safety. This car is being built on the ALFA architecture, shared with the Altroz. No reason for the HBX to fare any worse in crash tests. A 5 star GNCAP rating will be a huge draw in a segment filled with tin cans.

Originally Posted by shortbread

This is what maruti offers!

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=neVAP1UCG0E

Well agreed! But does anyone care?? Go check the sales charts of S-Presso with Zero ratings in safety.

I completely appreciate TATA for being #1 in safety. My only point is, it’s time that they start on focusing on better engines too. A bit more fun to drive cars if I say.

Maybe it’s sad, but true that people like cars which drive well, have better features, etc. Else, a 3-star Seltos costing upwards of 15L wouldn’t have such huge waiting periods!

[shortbread]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Well agreed! But does anyone care?? Go check the sales charts of S-Presso with Zero ratings in safety.

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Standing out of the crowd & making a USP for itself is the need of the hour for TATA. Else, what different has it got to offer other than the segment leader Maruti Suzuki?

You answered your own question, the reason why Tata cares is because they want to differentiate themselves. TML is not in the business of using passengers as crumple zones.

This is a big reason why the Nexon is doing well and holding its own in a highly competitive segment. In fact the Nexon outsells the Spresso despite costing twice as much! There is an increasing group of smarter car buyers in India for whom this is a priority.

This bodes well for the HBX. Buyers for whom safety is not a concern would have bought the Spresso, so be it.

[longhorn]

As the HBX shares the same platform as the Altroz, they should go all out and launch it with the 1.2 litre turbo petrol + DCT combo, right at the time of launch itself. The NA petrol + AMT can co exist in the lower variants. The Hornbill has great potential if they come out all guns blazing.

[cuboid]

Lot of people are expecting DCT for HBX - which is unrealistic. If and When Tata introduces the DCT with the Turbo petrol it will be in Nexon and Altroz first. Then it might trickle down to HBX later.

I don't think the DCT is going to a deal breaker for HBX's prospective buyers. Tata should differentiate this with top-notch safety to appeal to the discerning buyers. And very rightly so. If people wants to buy tin-cans in this category, it's their choice.

[Raghuwire]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Well agreed! But does anyone care?? Go check the sales charts of S-Presso with Zero ratings in safety.

This statement is simplistic at best and comes out as naïve too. There are other things to a car than just the fun to drive factor/features etc. Brand recall of Maruti, the number of showrooms/service stations, the existing base of Maruti car owners waiting to upgrade, the Halo of being a Japanese engineered product. Apart from this there is the aspect of customer capture. Do you know how many people enroll in Maruti Driving school? This acts as a funnel for new drivers to buy a Maruti. With Maruti True value they have again got a really good option to provide a good price purchase for their old cars.

With Nexon featuring an AMT, a smaller and entry level CSUV (If we can call it that) will not be offered with AT. Also, at the price range of 5 to 8 lakhs, even 35 to 40 k makes a huge difference (Personal + colleagues exp). Unless you have market stats to prove otherwise, You cannot blame Tata at failing to give the right product, way before the launch.