The first SUV co-developed by Tata and Land Rover and the ‘made-for-India’ hatchback will both be hitting the streets on the same day.
Tata’s first premium SUV, the Harrier is a potential game-changer for the automaker. The Harrier is based on the Land Rover platform and by the drip-fed information given out by Tata, it definitely seems like one. The design has a majority of its traits taken from the concept H5X. The first thing to notice is the unusual headlight placement with the indicators in an eyebrow-like form. The car comes loaded with tech as well. The Harrier offers a crisp 8-inch touchscreen that boasts Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The music system has been tuned by JBL to pump sound via 9 speakers throughout the cabin.
The car also impresses with its attention-to-detail. The 7-inch instrument cluster with a digital tachometer and the puddle lamps which project a silhouette of the car are nifty little things that manage to impress a lot. The powertrain on the Harrier is a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine sourced from Fiat. It is detuned for better fuel economy but manages to make 140 PS of power. The Harrier will only be available with a 6-speed gearbox at launch but is expected to get an automatic variant later.
The 2019 Maruti Wagon R will also see an overhaul aesthetically. It will continue to have its slab-sided look but changes in almost every other part of the design. The front fascia will be rounder to look at with larger headlamps. We will get to see a floating roof design as seen on the Ertiga. The new Wagon R will also be longer than its predecessor, which might give the second row more legroom. We expect a CNG variant as well as an AMT variant on the new car.
Both these cars are significant to the Indian market. While the Tata Harrier is the first made-in-India choice for people who wish to buy a premium SUV, the Wagon R is made-for-India. One is the potential start to a new breed of premium cars while the other one has been carrying people and their expectations for quite a while now.
Also, both these cars are set to launch on 23rd January 2019. This might be a bit of a setback for both brands as these cars are highly anticipated and launching them on the same day might divide the audience. We feel launching them on different dates would have made more sense so that both of them would’ve got exclusive publicity.
We will also see two more cars launching in January. The new compact SUV from Nissan, the Kicks and the Maruti Suzuki Baleno faceilift. January is likely to be a very exciting month for the automotive industry.
Tata Harrier Launch
– Tata Harrier and Maruti Suzuki Wagon R will be launched on the same day
– The launch date for both these cars is 23rd January
– Nissan Kicks and Baleno Facelift will also be launched in Jan.
