Tata Motors looking at Jaguar Land Rover platform for new global SUVs
We have told you this before. Tata Motors, in a bid to expand in the SUV segment, is looking at Jaguar Land Rover for its new platforms. There are talks of two new SUVs that will also be exported, coming out in 2019. For this, Tata Motors will be using the Freelander 2 platform as a base, customised and localised for cost effectiveness. The two SUVs will be rolled out in the 5- and 7-seater configurations. Apart from this, it is quite possible that Tata Motors may look at making different iterations from this Freelander 2 platform-derived chassis. For example, a smaller MPV to replace the ageing Tata Sumo. These SUVs will compete in the premium category - the 5-seater against the Jeep Compass while the 7-seater against the Toyota Fortuner. Being based on Land Rover platforms mean that these SUVs will have sufficient off-road credibility too. There have been many instances of the Tata Q501 SUV being tested on Indian soil under a Discovery Sport garb. The Tata Q501, the smaller 5-seater SUV, will be launched at a later date.
Tata Motors will launch the Nexon compact SUV this month. The sub-4m SUV brings in two all-new engines and few segment-first features like a floating touchscreen system, more than two drive modes and so on. The Tata Nexon engine options are a 1.2-litre turbopetrol and a 1.5-litre turbodiesel. Both these engines make 110PS and are mated to 6-speed manual transmissions. Tata Motors has also confirmed that the Nexon will get an AMT soon.
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