As of now, Tata only sells the Harrier in a 4×2 diesel-manual combo in India. A petrol variant is expected to arrive next year, which will see the SUV’s aggressive price tag drop even further. Tata Harrier is also going to get an automatic transmission and a sunroof.
Off-road enthusiasts also have something to cheer about. Speaking to CarDekho on the sidelines of the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, Tata Motors’ chief technology officer Rajendra M Petkar said that the Harrier and Buzzard could get a 4×4 variant once Tata fulfils its current priorities. “We have got feedback that there is a requirement for an off-road-spec Harrier and we will certainly look at offering a 4×4 derivative in the Harrier as well as the Buzzard once we’ve met our more pressing objectives,” said Petkar.
What are these objectives, you might ask? Well, there are two new cars that Tata is looking to launch in India before the end of the year – a premium hatchback called the Altroz and the seven-seater version of the Harrier, which will be called the Buzzard in global markets except India. Tata is also working on giving the Harrier an automatic transmission in the same time frame. The carmaker is also focusing on making its entire portfolio comply with BSVI emission norms before the April 2020 deadline. Post that, we could see the introduction of Tata’s first long-range electric vehicle, the Altroz EV.
Once all of the above is done, Tata will look to divert its R&D bandwidth towards a 4×4 variant of the Harrier. By our estimates, the 4×4 Harrier will arrive only by the last quarter of 2020, if not later. Also, by that time, the Harrier will almost be two years into its product cycle and could be due for a facelift. That could mean the 4×4 Harrier may see the light of day in the facelift version rather than the current iteration.
(Source: www.cardekho.com)