Tata Hexa's preliminary media campaigns start next month

19/09/2016 - 14:05 Tata Hexa, Tata Motors Anjan Ravi

To come with MT and AT gearboxes.

Indian Autos Blog can confirm that Tata Motors will start the media activities around the Tata Hexa from October 2016. Towards the third week of October 2016, the company has scheduled the first drive of the Hexa, hinting that a market launch will take place within the first half of November 2016.

Tata Hexa Tuff front three quarters at Geneva Motor Show 2016 — At least initially, the Tata Hexa will be available only with a diesel engine.

The Hexa, which is based on the Tata Aria, was first showcased at the Geneva Motor Show last year, as a production-ready prototype. Since then, Tata has shown it at the Auto Expo 2016, and confirmed that the SUV will be powered by a 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel engine paired to 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions.

Aside from this, there's also talk about Tata Motors downsizing this 2.2-liter engine, as a precautionary measure against future regulations by the Supreme Court/National Green Tribunal (the ban on vehicles with diesel engines larger than 2,000 cc was recently lifted, but could be imposed again, or additional taxes may be imposed in addition to the current 1 percent).

Tata Hexa Tuff dashboard at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show — The Hexa is based on the Aria's platform, however, engineers are expected to have made refinements to this chassis.

Also read: Tata Kite 5 compact sedan's launch delayed to early-2017

The Tata Hexa will rival the Mahindra XUV500, and is expected to be the most feature-packed Tata yet. Features include projector headlights, diamond-cut alloy wheels, ABS, EBD, at least dual airbags, touchscreen Harman-made entertainment system, multifunction steering wheel, leather seats with optional captains chairs for the second row, and a Land Rover inspired Terrain Management System.