Back in March 2015, at the International Motor Show in Geneva, Tata showcased the Hexa Concept (gallery below), a crossover MPV hybrid that’ll eventually become the successor to the slow selling Aria. Now, it’s production version has been spotted testing in India, which means that a launch is likely to happen later this year. Essentially a re-bodied Aria, the Hexa project is known internally as “Project Eagle”. The Hexa’s design also previews the new design direction that Tata’s upcoming utility vehicles are going to take.
The Aria’s handsome stance has been retained, while the lazily styled details have been reworked upon. The Aria’s boring front fascia will now be given the boot, and replaced with a more contemporary one, featuring a new V-shaped grille, refreshed bumper work replete with a skid plate, along with smoked headlamps. The sides will benefit from beefier cladding and new wheel arch trim, while the rear end will do away with the Aria’s “Christmas Tree” lamps, and get conventionally styled, horizontally aligned LED tail lamps, complimented by a new rear bumper featuring dual exhaust finishers. The spy images confirm the presence of the 19 inch, five spoke wheels from the concept.
Inside, the Hexa concept features 6 seats with captain seats for second row. The dashboard design is all new and features a touchscreen infotainment system with Android smart-watch connectivity / pairing, climate control, double barrel instrument cluster with LCD Multi Function Display and a new steering wheel. Other features include LED ambient lights on the inside, full leather seats, HVAC vents for the second and third row. All these goodies are expected to make their way to the production model as well, considering Tata skimped on a lot of features on the new Safari Storme.
The Hexa crossover concept that graced the floors at Geneva features the same 2.2-liter VARICOR 400 engine from the Aria, good for 154.21 hp and 400 Nm of maximum torque. A torque-on-demand 4WD system to be offered as an option. Drive assist features on offer include a Land Rover derived Terrain Response System (Adaptive Suspension), although it remains to be seen if it is offered on the production model. The safety net includes 6 airbags, ABS, ESP, auto headlights and auto wiper functionality.
via MotorOctane
