Tata Harrier (H5X) To Be Exported From India With New Moniker

The reason behind renaming the export-spec Tata Harrier is to avoid any copyright issues. Yes, in the Japanese market, Toyota already retails a midsize crossover called as Harrier. So, Tata Motors will rename the SUV before commencing the export of the five-seater SUV from the country.

The report also states that Tata Motors might use the ‘Circinae' moniker for the export-spec Harrier. The five-seater Tata Harrier will rival the Hyundai Creta when launched in India in 2019. The company is also expected to introduce the seven-seater version of the SUV at a later phase.

The Tata Harrier is based on the H5X concept which was revealed at the Auto Expo 2018. Tata Motors has been testing the SUV on Indian roads for quite some time and the overall design of the production-spec SUV will be similar to the concept model. Currently, the company is testing the prototype version of the Harrier.

The Tata Harrier will be based on the OMEGA platform which also underpins the Land Rover Discovery Sport. The Tata Harrier will be equipped with several segment-first features as it will be a premium offering from the Indian automaker.

The Tata Harrier will draw power from a Fiat-sourced 2-litre diesel engine that produces 140bhp and 320Nm of torque. The engine will be mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox with an all-wheel-drive system. Tata Motors might also offer a 6-speed automatic gearbox sourced from Hyundai.

Thoughts On The Tata Harrier SUV

The Tata Harrier will be the first vehicle to sport the new Impact Design 2.0 design philosophy. The Harrier will be a crucial product for Tata Motors in India as it will be premium SUV. We expect the Tata Harrier To be launched in January 2019. The Harrier will rival the likes of Hyundai Creta, Mahindra XUV500 and the Jeep Compass.