Tata has been working towards shedding its old-school cab market image for a more modern and upmarket one. The Tata Zest, the Bolt and the Tiago have certainly helped them inch away from the past and the Tata Hexa is supposed to be the big step towards this goal. As per latest reports, the Hexa launch has been delayed and is now slated for January 2017.
With the launch date postponed to January, we feel Tata might miss the bus for the Hexa. The festive wave is generally at its fag end by mid-January with buyers eyeing the fiscal budget. After Toyota positioned the Innova Crysta higher in the price bracket, we feel, a space had been automatically created for the Hexa to cash on by offering thesame packagebut for a better price tag. If launched as a competitor to the XUV500, Tata would have had a winner in the Hexa. With the buyer sentiments on a high and the Tiago establishing the new Tata image, the festive season would have worked in its favour.
For Tata, a lot seems to be riding on the Hexa. It is not only limited to the success of the model but also about the success of their strategy to rebrand Tata and any delay in the proceedings might hurt the outcome. Tata had showcased the production version of the Hexa at the Auto Expo 2016 and going by the testing it has undergone, the launch was expected right after the Tiago. We expected the Tata Hexa to be launched around the festive season - the ideal time to launch the flagship.
The Hexa is a three-row luxury people mover and has the mechanicals of an SUV. It gets driving modes, all-wheel-drive and an automatic gearbox as well mated to its 2.2-litre turbo-diesel Varicor400 engine. In terms of interior, unlike older Tata cars, the Hexa gets a plush cabin with the plastics, fit and finish leagues ahead of its previous self. We hope the Hexa does well and sets up the stage for the next series of Tata cars coming in including the next-gen Tata Safari.
