Tata Motors is set to expand its passenger vehicle line-up further and will be taking on the highly popular C-segment sedan space with its next offering. The automaker has confirmed that it’s working on a mid-size sedan for the Indian market that has been codenamed Tata X452 according to certain reports, and will be sharing it’s underpinnings with the Altroz premium hatchback. This confirms that the new mid-size sedan will be based on the newly-developed ALFA platform and will take on the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid and the likes. If previous reports are to be believed, this new sedan could called the Tata Peregrine.
Tata Motors plans to bring 12 new products over the next four years and the upcoming Perigine will be a part of those slew of launches. The company also has the HBX hatchback and at least four electric vehicles in the pipeline that will hit the market by 2022. The ALFA platform that underpins the Altroz and the upcoming HBX has a modular architecture and is flexible enough to spawn a sedan as well. Furthermore, it allows the automaker to share components and increase economies of scale to further maximise on existing resources. The Tata Peregrine then is expected to be heavily inspired from the Altroz.
We do expect to see a lot of elements from the Tata EVision concept making it on the production model as well. The concept was showcased at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show and looked extremely promising as well. In terms of the powertrain, Tata Motors is expected to use the 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines. The Altroz presently uses a naturally aspirated petrol motor and Tata could employ the 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine from the Nexon that packs in more power in comparison. Also expect to see a 6-speed manual and automatic transmission options with possibly a dual-clutch unit on offer as well.
With respect to features, the Tata Peregrine sedan will pack on a lot as all modern-day Tata cars and will include LED headlamps with projector lens, LED taillights and DRLs, ambient lighting, touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, multi-drive modes and possibly wireless charging. Tata is also likely to offer the 90-degree openable doors that are offered on the Altroz.
There’s no word on the launch timeline yet but we could see the Tata Peregrine taking flight in the next two years. It is interesting to note that the Indian auto giant is entering the sedan segment when the volumes have been on a steady decline. The C-segment volumes dropped as much as 31 per cent in sales last year, affecting volumes of all three major sellers – Honda City, Hyundai Verna and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. Could the Perigine be the new market disruptor? Only time will tell.
