Did Tata Drop The Ball On Altroz Racer? — Opinion

I can say with high confidence that the Altroz Racer is not coming in 2023. Back in January, Tata said that the Racer would “launch soon”. It’s been 9 months and so, you would agree that definitely out of the ‘soon’ territory.

Most mass market carmakers usually plan their new car launches ahead of the festive season. We usually don’t see any notable new car launches between Diwali/Eid and the new year. Then they choose to launch new cars after in the new year to qualify for a new model year badge. Since we’re already in the festive season and we know that Tata have the Safari, Harrier and Nexon to ride through the festive season, we shouldn’t expect the Altroz Racer to go on sale in 2023.

Now, I will go ahead and say that the Altroz Racer may not even materialise. That’s because I can’t trust them. I’d be okay without the Altroz Racer if they hadn’t confirmed the launch on their social channel. But they did and they didn’t even feel the need to retract the claim. This makes it difficult for us to take their word at face value going forward. So, I’ll say it’s not a pipe dream when I see the official prices on Tata’s website. Until then, we should keep our hopes in check and wonder how much trust we should place in them.

Mind you, this is the same brand which said “a promise is a promise; the Nano will launch at 1 lakh rupees”. Only those who know the story behind this statement will understand the gravity of this promise. Only those who understand it will know that back in the day, we could trust them to deliver on their promise. As a proud Tata Nano owner, Tata not delivering on a promise and even ignoring it like it never happened is more infuriating. It’s depressing.

Tata Altroz Racer Specs

The Altroz Racer was supposed to bring the same 1.2L turbo powertrain and transmission as the Nexon. That means a 120PS of power and 170Nm of torque with a 6-speed transmission. The Altroz turbo petrol currently makes 110PS of power and 140Nm of torque. It also gets a 5-speed transmission.

Tata Altroz Racer Features

Besides the performance upgrades, the Altroz Racer was supposed to bring the following features, which aren’t available in the regular Altroz:

• Ventilated front seats
• 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• 360-degree camera