SUV

HP

The Hexa concept recommends itself as a muscular and sportyand according to Tata Motors, it “unveils a new direction to the design language of future Tata SUVs”. There is nothing too flashy about it but from where we’re standing, it looks production-ready but we doubt that the final version will inherit the sculpted design, although we could see those 19-inch alloy wheels as optional equipment.According to Tata Motors, the interior has enough room for six passengers but we are a bit skeptical about that. Under the hood lies an “all new” 2.2-liter VARICOR 400 diesel engine that delivers 154and a maximum torque of 400 Nm (295 lb-ft). Moreover, these resources can be ‘tamed’ with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed automatic transmission.Next in line is the ConnectNext concept, which seen from far away looks like a motorized Casper. Anyway, Tata describes it like a 5-seater electric vehicle with floating and sliding seats blessed with a minimalistic driver interface.Besides that, those sitting in the front seats have a click wheel at their disposal - inspired from the iPod classic - to control the concept’s functions. What we liked most were the HUDs with augmented navigation and driver warning & guidance functions, but the road ahead is still long for Tata Motors. It’s good to see that improvements are made, though.