Tata Motors recently introduced the Altroz Racer, which only comes with a manual gearbox. However, it might introduce an automatic gearbox in the future, depending on demand, the company’s chief commercial officer, Vivek Srivatsa, told Autocar India on the sidelines of the Racer’s launch.
- Altroz Racer could get Nexon’s 7-speed dual-clutch auto
- To likely undercut Hyundai i20 N Line automatic
The Tata Altroz Racer gets a 120hp, 170Nm, 1.2-litre, three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine mated to a 6-speed manual as standard. The automatic would likely be the 7-speed DCA that’s available with the Nexon’s 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine and the standard Altroz’s petrol engine.
An automatic would better equip the Altroz Racer range to take on its direct rival, the i20 N Line, which has both a 6-speed manual and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic options.
Srivatsa revealed that the priority was to get the Altroz Racer to the market as quickly as possible, and hence, the 6-speed manual transmission was chosen since it demanded relatively lower development costs and time.
Also see: Tata Altroz Racer walkaround video
Taking on the i20 N Line is something that Tata is keen on. “We should be able to sell as many Altroz Racers as the rival [i20 N Line], or even slightly higher,” said Srivatsa. The homegrown manufacturer has already fired the first salvo by having a very competitive price point. Priced at Rs 9.49 lakh for the entry-level variant, Tata’s sporty hatch costs Rs 50,000 less than the base i20 N Line model. Even Racer’s top-end variant, at Rs 10.99 lakh, costs about Rs 28,000 less than the range-topping i20 N Line N8 MT.
Tata also carried over some of the Altroz Racer’s equipment to the standard Altroz, such as the bigger 10.25-inch touchscreen (with a new operating system), a 360-degree camera, the 7-inch instrument cluster, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. However, the segment-first ventilated seats are reserved for the Altroz Racer.
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