Tata Tiago Aktiv to enter production soon, could become most affordable crossover in India

Tata Motors' new hatchback Tiago has ticked all the right boxes in the Indian market and the model is earning overwhelming response from the auto lovers. Interestingly, Tata is not resting on its laurels. It looks like, inspired by the success of the Tiago, Tata is now looking to offer the crossover avatar of the new hatchback for the Indian market.

Tata has showcased a crossover-like version of the Tiago, then-Zica, at the Auto Expo 2016 in February. The crossover, which is expected to be called the Tiago Aktiv, will soon hit the assembly line in India, Auto Car India reported. Going by the report, Tata is likely to roll out the Aktiv crossover as a fully-built unit rather than offering as a kit. If this rings true, the Tiago Aktiv would become the most affordable crossover in India. When launched, the Tiago crossover would compete against the likes of Hyundai i20 Active and the Toyota Liva Cross in India.

Initially, Tata is likely to produce the Tiago Aktiv only in small numbers and is likely to be increased later after seeing the response. The Tiago Aktiv would come with features like black plastic cladding on the tailgate, a skid plate at the rear, alloy wheels and cladding around the body.

Powering the Aktiv is likely to be the same engine that powers the Tiago. The Tiago is powered by 1.2-litre three-cylinder Revotron petrol and 1.0-litre three-cylinder Revotorq diesel mills. While the petrol mill churns out 83.8bhp of power at 6,000rpm and 114Nm of torque at 3,500rpm, the 1.05- diesel engine produces 69bhp of power 4,000rpm and 140Nm of torque at 1,800-3,000rpm. Both the engines come mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

The Tiago hatchback, which made its entry in April, has clocked over 22,000 bookings in India and has a waiting period of over three months in India.