Tata Motors working on new SUV based on Land Rover Discovery Sport

Codenamed the Tata Q501/Q502 internally, the new SUV will reportedly be based on the Land Rover Discovery Sport and underpinned by the same L550 platform. Structural components like the floor pan are also expected to be the same, but Tata Motors is reiterating that its offering will have its own distinct identity and will feature styling radically different from the British luxury SUV it is based on.

To be positioned above the Hexa crossover, the new Tata SUV’s body shell will reportedly be made from high-tensile steel and lightweight aluminium – just like the Discovery Sport - to keep weight as low as possible. Land Rover will also help out its parent company with the SUV’s architecture, performance, and technologies under the hood. The Land Rover Discovery Sport is currently assembled at Tata Motor’s Pune plant for sale in the country.

Motive power for the new Tata SUV will come from a new FIAT-sourced 2.0-litre diesel engine developing around 170PS of peak horsepower, paired to either a six-speed manual or an automatic gearbox. The same engine is also expected to power the Jeep C-Segment SUV which will be made in India next year. This indicates a possibility that the two companies might consider locally assembling this engine and benefit from volumes of scale.

Previous reports have indicated that Tata was looking to position its new SUV between the Mahindra XUV 500 and the Toyota Fortuner. If those reports are to be believed, expect the new Tata SUV to be priced in the range of Rs 17 lakh to Rs 24 lakh when it is launched.