Spy Pics: Tata Tiago Facelift Spotted Testing — Impact 2.0 & Alpha Upgrades On Board

Tata Motors is currently hard at work putting in the testing miles on its updated lineup of cars ahead of the upcoming BS-VI emission norms. The latest car to be spotted from the lineup is the facelifted Tata Tiago, which features a stylistic upgrade and is expected to sit on the carmaker's new ALPHA platform.

The facelifted Tata Tiago spotted in the city of Chandigarh by Rushlane is a heavily camouflaged unit, and so making out design changes compared to the current is not an easy task. However, the final car, which is expected to be launched at Auto Expo 2020 will sport quite a few changes especially with the platform underneath. The 2020 Tata Tiago will also feature an updated styling package more in line with Tata Motor's Impact Design 2.0 design language which will be seen for the first time on Indian roads on a hatchback when the upcoming Altroz finally hits the streets.

The changes to the 2020 Tiago are not going to be just skin deep. Under the bonnet of the facelifted hatchback in 2020 will be a single engine option for all variants. Tata Motors will not be upgrading the 1.05-litre diesel engine from the current Tiago to BS-VI emission standards.

This is not due to the fact that the engine cannot be upgraded to meet the new emission standards but rather due to the low demand for the diesel powerplant. The oil-burning Tiago only accounts for 20 per cent of the hatchback's total sales numbers and with BS-VI upgrades set to increase the price gap between petrol and diesel variants substantially, it would seem that Tata Motors has decided to remove the option from its best-selling hatchback.

Another big change expected to arrive with the 2020 Tiago is a switch to the new ALPHA platform from the current XO architecture. Tata Motors claims that the new ALPHA platform (which also underpins the Altroz) is safer than the older XO with the carmaker stating that it would help its cars achieve the coveted 5-star rating in safety tests. The ALPHA platform also supports electrification, so we can expect a hybrid/ zero-emissions version of the Tiago to arrive sometime later in its product cycle.