Tata Xover at 2010 Auto Expo, New Delhi

The Economic Times today reported that the Tata Xover will be displayed at the upcoming 2010 Auto Expo in New Delhi.

Tata Xover photo

For those of you who have been following Tata’s plans for a while, the Xover is a familiar term. This concept MUV / people carrier was first displayed by Tata Motors at the Geneva Motor Show in 2005. There it met with quite a bit of criticism, if I remember right. But Tata was a relative unknown company then. Now, however, everyone knows Tata thanks for the Tata Nano and the aqcuisitions of Jaguar and Land Rover. So perhaps it is time we took another look at the Xover.

As you can see from the photos here, the design of the Tata Xover is pretty much in the controversial cut-and slash style. There are edges everywhere, and the front grille has that silly Tata smileyface which gets on my nerves. Well, forget that. From the rear three quarters, the Xover almost looks handsome. An easier sight on the eyes than the Mahindra Xylo, and possibly cuter than the Toyota Innova at any rate. That is some achievement. The front is not all that likeable, however.

Tata Xover rear three quarter pic. This we like.

In 2005, though, the Xover was just a concept. What we are going to see at the Auto Expo 2010 will be a real vehicle which will be put into production. In the Indian market, it will easily compete with the Xylo, Innova and the Tavera.

The ET story does not mention any specific engine for the Xover. However, we can safely assume that it will likely be one of the better CRDi engines from the Tata range. As everyone knows now, there is not much of a market for a petrol MUV/ MPV in India, and Tata knows how to do diesel. They will stick to that, for sure.

It seems work on the Xover has been going on for the last two years, and we will get to see the production version at the Tata pavilion at Pragati Maidan. Normally, we give around six months for the vehicle to be actually available in the showrooms.

At this point, there are no interior photos available for the Xover. What we do know is that it will be a seven-seater, and interior space and luggage room will be huge. Power is also guaranteed not to be less with Tata.

Tata knows how to play the value game, and expect it to take on the Xylo easily in that.

In India, MUVs are bought by either the taxi market or those who want a large car for their families. It is possible that the top end Xover would have ABS and airbags to satisfy the requirements of the family audience.

The front LEDs will go. They will be replaced by normal projector headlamps as in the recently launched Tata Manza.

If you want to read about what the Tata Xover was initially planned as, you can read this story about the Tata Xover at Geneva from our 2005 archives.

Our desperate hope is that Tata has done some work on the front end, and it is a sleeker bonnet and sharper grille that we will see on the production Xover. Keep your fingers crossed.