Tata launched the Xenon way back in 2009. The Xenon was Tata’s replacement to the Tatamobile and the more-powerful Tata TL 4WD pickups that were on sale for more than a decade. At launch, the lifestyle pickup segment didn’t have any buyers and there was no other rival to the Xenon except the Scorpio Getaway from Mahindra. Both carmakers aimed their respective models more towards the export markets than India. Tata also added a commercial-market version of the Xenon equipped with 2WD only and a less-powerful diesel engine a few years ago.
Fast forward to 2016, Isuzu entered this market recently with the V-Cross and Mahindra is readying an update for the Getaway too, which will get equipment and mechanical touches from the refreshed Scorpio. To counter this competition, Tata Motors is readying a mid-cycle refresh to its Xenon XT 4WD pickup. The Xenon currently is available with a 2.2-litre 140hp engine mated to a manual transmission. The refreshed Xenon XT is likely to get the same unit that does duty under the hood of the Safari Storme Varicor 400 and soon to be launched Hexa crossover. Apart from the mechanical changes, the Xenon will also get subtle cosmetic updates and more equipment than the current model.
With the more powerful engine, the Xenon will deliver a healthy 156hp and 400Nm of torque. What’s more, there are talks of an automatic variant too. A six-speed automatic gearbox will join in the standard five-speed manual variant. This engine-gearbox combination is likely to be available on the Hexa as well as Safari Storme in future as well. Expect the updated Xenon XT to launch in India in the coming months.