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Today is the day – the Tata Punch mini-SUV goes on sale across India, with prices set to be announced a little after 11 am IST. Bookings for the Punch – Tata’s smallest SUV till date – have been open at the company’s dealerships as well as on its website since early October, with the booking amount set at Rs 20,000, and Tata has confirmed it will commence deliveries shortly after the price announcement today. In terms of size, the Tata Punch measures in at 3,827 mm in length, 1,615 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,445 mm. Ground clearance is rated at 187 mm (unladen), and boot space is rated at 366 litres. The Punch has a 37-litre fuel tank, disc brakes at the front (drum brakes at the rear), and kerb weight for the mini-SUV ranges from 1,000 kg to 1,035 kg, depending on the variant. A total of seven colour options will be available for the Punch. The Punch will be available in four main trim levels – Pure, Adventure, Accomplished and Creative. A 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with voice command functionality, engine start-stop button, height-adjustable driver’s seat, cruise control are available on the Accomplished trim. 16-inch alloy wheels, part-digital instrument cluster, projector headlights, automatic climate control, cooled glove box, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob and iRA connected car features offered on the Creative version. The lower trims get 15-inch steel wheels, and the Adventure gets a smaller 4.0-inch infotainment screen. On the safety front, the Tata Punch comes with dual airbags, ABS, ISOFIX child seat anchorages and the segment-first Brake Sway Control as standard. Powering the Punch is a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder, naturally-aspirated Revotron petrol engine making 86 hp and 113 Nm of torque. The engine is equipped with Tata’s ‘DynaPro’ tech that incorporates a ram air function, and the Punch can do 0-60 kph in a claimed 6.5 seconds and 0-100 kph in a claimed 16.5 seconds. Gearbox options include a five-speed manual as well as a five-speed automated manual transmission (AMT). Additionally, the Tata Punch will come with an engine start-stop function to help improve fuel efficiency. There won’t be a diesel engine option for now, but Tata is understood to be developing an all-electric version of the Punch for the future. Tata Motors has added a segment-first ‘Traction Pro’ mode to the AMT version of the Punch, which engages the brakes to help the mini-SUV move over low traction surfaces and avoid getting stuck in tricky soft-roading situations. To drive the point of the Punch being a true SUV home, Tata Motors even shared a clip of the Punch being driven to the mountain peak of Sandakphu. Showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo as the close-to-production H2X Concept, the Punch is the second Tata model after the Altroz to be based on the company’s new-age ALFA architecture. The Punch will be the most affordable SUV from Tata Motors and will slot in below the Nexon in the company’s SUV range. The Tata Punch carries over the H2X concept’s upright stance, beefy front end and muscular wheel arches – elements that will surely attract the SUV-loving crowd. A few teasers shared online in the last few days also confirm the Punch will retain some of the styling cues seen on the H2X concept, including its funky tail-lights. Martin Uhlarik, Tata’s design chief, said getting the stance, wheel positioning and ride height right was key to nailing the proportions of the Punch, unlike other high-riding hatchbacks that failed to find takers because of their oddball appearance. Just like the outside, the Tata Punch mirrors the H2X concept on the inside, leaving out some of the concept car elements. The dashboard of the Punch has an upright, blocky look, sporting a two-tone grey and ivory theme. Many elements inside the Punch have been carried over from the Altroz, including its part-digital instrument cluster, steering wheel and climate control switches. For now, the Tata Punch is unlikely to have any direct rivals, and the models that come closest to it are the Maruti Suzuki Ignis and the long-forgotten Mahindra KUV100. That said, Hyundai is developing a mini-SUV of its own (codename AX1), which is set to arrive in India next year. Expect Tata Punch prices to be in the range of Rs 5 - 7.5 lakh (ex-showroom).
Tata Punch India launch highlights: Prices for Tata's smallest SUV yet start at Rs 5.49 lakh
Being the smallest Tata SUV yet, the Tata Punch is expected to slot in between the Tiago and the Nexon in terms of price; to be offered in four trims.
 "Tata Punch India launch highlights: Prices for Tata's smallest SUV yet start at Rs 5.49 lakh")
Tata Punch: Variant-wise prices
Here’s a detailed look at the introductory, variant-wise prices for the Tata Punch (ex-showroom).
Tata Punch: The prices
The Tata Punch has been launched in India at a starting price of Rs 5.49 lakh (introductory, ex-showroom)
Tata Punch: Five-star Global NCAP rating
The Tata Punch recently became the third Tata vehicle to secure a full five stars in the Global NCAP crash tests, recording the highest adult occupant protection score for any vehicle tested by Global NCAP till date. You can read more about its performance here .
Tata Punch: Safety
On the safety front, the Tata Punch comes with dual airbags, ABS, ISOFIX child seat anchorages and the segment-first Brake Sway Control as standard.
Tata Punch: Launch begins
Shailesh Chandra, President of Tata’s PV business, kicks off the launch of the Punch by highlighting how the company has witness sharp growth in market share in the last few years to cement itself as India’s third largest carmaker.
Tata Punch: Variants
Buyers will be able to choose from four trim levels – Pure, Adventure, Accomplished and Creative (pictured here). The base Pure variant will be available with only a manual gearbox, while the others will also be offered with the option of the five-speed AMT.
Tata Punch: Colours
Here’s a look at the seven colour options for the Tata Punch.
Tata Punch: Watch the launch LIVE
You can follow the Tata Punch launch live stream right here.
Tata Punch: The review
We’ve already driven the Tata Punch a few days ago, and you can read our first impressions of the mini-SUV right here .
Tata Punch: Why it’s billed an SUV
As part of its launch campaign, Tata Motors took the Punch up the mountain peak of Sandakphu, and even talked about its approach, ramp-over and departure angles, as it aims to clearly position the Punch as a proper SUV, and not a hatchback in crossover clothes. You can read our detailed story about it right here .
Tata Punch: AMT version gets Traction Pro mode
Tata Motors has added a ‘Traction Pro’ mode to the AMT version of the Punch, which it says will help the mini-SUV avoid getting stuck in tricky soft-roading conditions.
Tata Punch: Start-stop tech, drive modes
The Tata Punch will come with an engine start-stop function to help improve fuel efficiency. Additionally, it’ll also come with two drive modes – Eco and City.
Tata Punch: Engine and transmissions
The Tata Punch comes with Tata’s 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine, can do 0-60 kph in 6.5 seconds and 0-100 kph in 16.5 seconds. Five-speed manual and five-speed AMT options will be on offer.
Tata Punch: Design
Martin Uhlarik, Head of Design at Tata Motors, says the Punch derives design and styling cues from the Harrier and the Nexon, and has been shaped to look bigger than it actually is. He also adds that getting the stance, wheel positioning and ride height right was key to nailing the proportions of the Punch, unlike other high-riding hatchbacks that failed to find takers because of their oddball appearance.
Tata Punch: Vital specs
Ground clearance for the Tata Punch is rated at 187 mm (unladen), and boot space is rated at 366 litres. The Punch has a 37-litre fuel tank, and kerb weight for the mini-SUV ranges from 1,000 kg to 1,035 kg, depending on the variant.
Tata Punch: Dimensions
In terms of size, the Tata Punch measures in at 3,827 mm in length, 1,615 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,445 mm.
Tata Punch: The finished product
Finally, at the start of September (over a year and a half after the HBX’s debut), Tata Motors revealed the production-spec Punch mini-SUV, the second model to be based on the ALFA architecture after the Altroz hatchback, which recently crossed the 100,000-unit production milestone .
Tata Punch: From H2X to HBX
We saw the Punch in concept form once again as the HBX concept, which was revealed at the 2020 Auto Expo. This time, however, the HBX was a close-to-production concept, with the only show car-specific bits being the chunky off-road tyres and other off-road focused styling elements.
Tata Punch: The origins
We first saw the Tata Punch in the form of the H2X Concept, which made its world premiere at the 2019 Geneva motor show. But that wasn’t the last time we’d be seeing it in concept form…
Tata Punch launch: 60 minutes to go!
Welcome, everyone, to Tech2’s live coverage of the launch of Tata’s smallest SUV till date – the Tata Punch. The price announcement event will get underway at 11 am IST, but in the meantime, we’ll tell you all you need to know about the Punch, so stay tuned!
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