The Tata HBX, aka Tata Hornbill had premiered as a concept during the Auto Expo 2020 and is heading for a Diwali launch in the country.
Autocar India recently managed to capture some cool spy pictures of the production-spec Tata HBX, also dubbed the Tata Hornbill, being tested in the country. The pictures show the production-ready car to be strikingly similar to the concept model showcased earlier at the Auto Expo 2020.
The Tata HBX concept, as evident from the camo mule, follows the Impact 2.0 design philosophy of the carmaker. As was the case with the Tata Harrier, the headlamp unit of the production-spec Hornbill seems to have given in for a conventional unit that seems to resemble the elder brother to a great extent.
Despite the heavy camo, one could make out that the body is indeed sculpted and masculine. There are all familiar bits, previously seen on the concept, like a flat bonnet, stand up A-pillar, pronounced beltline etc onboard the road-going version as well. The stance is undoubtedly that of a masculine SUV.
Inferring from the mule, we expect the production car to give up on the radical front grille and bumper of the concept and go for more conventional units.
The story at the rear doesn’t seem too SUV-ish. The rear windscreen is raked and the entire rear fascia has an air of compactness glued to it. The camo here on the mule seems to be too heavy to give out any detail of the design but for a vague clue of the tail lamp layout. We are expecting the car to have 15-inch alloys and standard rubber, judging by the mule…
As evident from the spy shots, the Tata Hornbill will have almost the same interiors as the concept, though giving up on certain premium bits is quite expected.
The Tata HBX is built on the ALFA architecture, that we had seen on the Tata Altroz previously. Most likely, the car will borrow the 1.2 petrol unit from the hatchback as well…
Source: Autocar India
