Tata Punch micro-SUV fully revealed as it arrives at dealership ahead of launch

Tata Motors is gearing up for the launch of its new micro-SUV, Punch. They have been working on it for quite a while as it was first showcased as H2X Concept at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show then we saw it as the HBX Concept at the Auto Expo 2020. It is based on IMPACT 2.0 design philosophy. Both the concepts attracted a lot of attention when they were revealed. Tata Motors even said that they will be able to retain 95 percent of the design from the HBX Concept onto the production version. This seems to be true as Punch looks a lot familiar to the HBX Concept. Now, the new micro-SUV has been spotted on Indian roads that too in a new bright orange paint scheme.

Immediately, we can see that Punch has a lot of road presence with its SUV derived stance. It looks rugged and quirky than its rivals. Punch will be going against the Maruti Suzuki Ignis and Mahindra KUV100. In terms of design, it is the Punch that stands out of the competition. It is important to note that the upcoming Citroen C3 is also expected to become a rival of Punch. Some dealerships have also started accepting unofficial bookings of the Punch.

The new micro-SUV looks like a mini Harrier. It has high ground clearance which helps in tackling bad Indian roads. There is a split headlamp setup. So, the LED Daytime Running Strip is placed above which should also double up as turn indicators.

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It has a thick black bumper that has been integrated well. This and the flat bonnet gives an SUV look to the front. Towards, the side there is a very thick plastic cladding that runs throughout the length of the vehicle. There are also new dual-tone alloy wheels that complement the look.

We can see the Punch in the pictures is finished in a dual-tone paint scheme. The body is finished in orange while the roof is painted black. In the teasers that were uploaded by Tata Motors, we saw another paint scheme of blue and white. At the rear, we get small LED tail lamps with tri-arrow elements in them. At the rear also we can see a thick black bumper with reflectors in it. There is a high mounted stop light, rear wiper with washer and a set of roof rails.

Interior

As of now, the interior of the production-spec Punch has not been revealed officially. We expect it to have some quirky and rugged look just like we saw on the HBX Concept. So, expect rectangular air conditioning vents, a floating touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, body-coloured accents, part digital instrument cluster, a three-spoke steering wheel, automatic climate control, push-button to start/stop and much more. The Concept even had a compass integrated into the dashboard but we do not think it will be carried over to the production-spec vehicle.

Engine and gearbox

Tata Motors will equip Punch with a 1.2-litre petrol engine that we have already seen on the Altroz, Tigor and the Tiago. The engine is a three-cylinder, naturally aspirated unit. It produces 86 PS of max power and a peak torque output of 115 Nm. It will be offered with a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed AMT.

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