MUMBAI: For Tata Motors, parent of the fabled Jaguar Land Rover brand, the time has finally come for a reverse transmission of DNA.The Q5 project to develop an SUV under the Tata brand with Land Rover traits is close to getting financial commitment from the Indian company, said several people in the know. That will bring to reality the widely expected benefit of the Mumbai-based company's 2008 acquisition of the British brand, known for its luxury saloons and muscular SUVs.Crosstown rival Mahindra & Mahindra, too, is working on similar plans, which though are at a more advanced stage, said people in the know. The maker of the Scorpio and Bolero has already started work to develop avehicle based on Korean subsidiary SsangYong Motor’s X100 platform to bridge the gap in its portfolio to take on Ford EcoSport and Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. These new vehicles from Tata Motors and Mahindra are likely to hit the Indian roads in 2018-19.A Tata Motors spokesperson refused to speak about the project, saying the company doesn’t comment on product plans. Pawan Goenka, Mahindra executive director who is also the chairman of Ssang-Yong, confirmed its project, internally called S201, but didn’t provide details.Tata Motors’ Q5 project is based on the Land Rover Discovery Sport platform, which will be modified substantially for Indian market conditions.The company is expected to source the engine from Fiat-Chrysler — it is considering the 2-litre diesel plant that will be used in Chrysler’s C Jeep when it is launched here. While a sourcing agreement will likely be finalised once the Tata Motor’s board releases funds for the project, the recent curbs on diesel vehicles have created some confusion, as its wasn’t considering a petrol option earlier.Post the dieselgate scandal globally and the Supreme Court order banning registration of large diesel vehicles in the National Capital Region, Tata Motors is in a fix and is considering whether to source a petrol engine to power a 1500 kg vehicle, said one of the people ET has spoken to. “The project is nearing the final gateway for approval, the sourcing decision on petrol engine will be a clincher.”As for Mahindra, the decision is closer than Tata Motors. According to people in the know, Mahindra is in discussion with SsangYong to buy the licensing right for the X100 platform.The idea is to build a Mahindra top hat on SsangYong underpinnings. And due to the related-party transaction between Mahindra and SsangYong, the independent directors of SsangYong will have to give a go-ahead for the plan, they said.SsangYong, which Mahindra bought in 2011, has three South Korean independent directors and one from the US. Apart from sharing the vehicle platform, Mahindra and SsangYong will work on a 1.5-litre TGDI petrol engine, which will be used by both. This engine is expected to be ready by 2018.Experts said with SsangYong being a value car maker, it is easier for Mahindra to localise and time to market is faster, but it is far tougher for Tata Motors to engineer a luxury JLR platform and bring it to Indian cost. “Meeting technocommercial viability is a challenge, as the grade of steel used by JLR is not available in India. So a lot of platform components have to modified, which takes time and adds to the cost; petrol-diesel debate in India has added another element of cost elevation,” said an industry expert.VG Ramakrishnan, managing director at consultancy firm Avanteum Advisors, said when Tata Motors and Mahindra purchased these companies, one of the key considerations would have been to leverage their expertise in products and technology to enhance their domestic product line-ups. “Synergies are now coming to play and hopefully help in overcoming global competition,” said Ramakrishnan.