- Will be the brand’s smallest SUV

- Likely to be powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine

Tata’s upcoming micro-SUV has been christened as the Hornbill. It will be the smallest SUV in the Indian carmaker’s lineup and is expected to be launched sometime later in the year. According to a PTI report, Shailesh Chandra, President – Passenger Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors, said, “Already four months are over and we are at a market share of 10.3 per cent. Still, we have two big launches lined up, including the Hornbill, so that is still to come.”

The Hornbill will foray into the emerging mid-level B-segment SUV that currently comprises the Mahindra KUV100 and the Maruti Suzuki Ignis. The Hornbill was last showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo as the HBX concept and since then has been spotted testing on several occasions. It will be the second model to be built on the brand’s ALFA platform after the Altroz hatchback.

The new Hornbill will sit below the Nexon, boasting of styling cues from the Harrier SUV like a split headlamp setup, the tri-arrow pattern on the front grille, fore and aft plastic cladding, a floating roof design, blacked-out A, B, and C-pillars, and a rear wiper. To know more about the Hornbill, click here.

Inside, the micro-SUV is likely to have an all-black theme with a free-standing touchscreen infotainment system, automatic climate control, square aircon vents, push start/stop button, and a flat-bottom steering wheel with mounted controls.

Mechanically, the Hornbill is likely to be powered by a detuned version of the 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine coupled with a five-speed manual gearbox. An AMT unit could also be offered at launch. The Hornbill will primarily compete against the Maruti Suzuki Ignis and Mahindra KUV100, and will soon be accompanied by the Hyundai Casper.