Tata Altroz Diesel BS-VI Variant To Launch First — Still In The Small Engine Business

While most vehicle manufacturers have announced or are in the process of announcing the discontinuation of their sub-4 meter diesel cars because of the cost factors to ready them for BS-VI specs, Tata Motors plans to offer the Altroz with a diesel engine.

According to Team-BHP, The engine that the Altroz may feature is a de-tuned version of the 1.5-litre Revotorq turbocharged four-cylinder engine that currently sits in the Tata Nexon. Maximum power is expected to be set at a much lower 91bhp from the original 108bhp. Torque numbers may also see a drop from 260Nm to 210Nm. While the original engine is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, expect the de-tuned version to be mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

The petrol variant of the Tata Altroz is expected to be launched at a later time, will feature a de-tuned version of the 1.2-litre Revotron turbocharged three-cylinder engine that currently powers the Tata Nexon. The de-tuned version is said to produce a maximum power of 100bhp and 140Nm of torque. The engine will come mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

There was speculation that the Tata Altroz would feature an all-new 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with a mild hybrid system. There also was speculation about a dual-clutch automatic transmission. However, there is no confirmation of this.

The Tata Altroz is based on the Tata developed Agile Light Flexible Advanced (ALFA) architecture and is the second vehicle after the Harrier to feature the Impact Design 2.0 philosophy. The hatchback will feature projector head lamps, 16-inch alloy wheels, a semi-digital instrument cluster, and a touchscreen infotainment system that is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatible.

The Tata Altroz is scheduled for a July 2019 launch and once launched, it will compete with the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the Hyundai 120, and the Honda Jazz.

Thoughts About The BS-VI Compliant Diesel Engine Offering From Tata

Good to see manufactures trying to work out the costs for diesel upgrades. We understand that it must be expensive to make engines that are BS-VI compliant but we also know that most folk want, and enjoy diesel cars over petrol ones. We wonder if Ford has anything to do with this move by Tata Motors.