With the Punch facelift scheduled to be launched in 2026, Tata Motors surprised the nation by offering this mini SUV with a turbo petrol option for the first time. This was a completely unexpected move from the brand and reflects Tata Motors’ will to offer exciting products to customers. But what about the expected turbo offering that never launched?
We are talking about the Tata Altroz racer which saw only a short life cycle in the country. The MY25 counterpart of the Altroz Racer, based on the newly facelifted standard Altroz, was never launched. Tata Motors may fix this as new Altroz test mules have fueled speculations about the revival of the Altroz racer.
New Tata Altroz spotted testing – is it a turbo racer?
Team-BHPianNeeraj1903 posted pictures of Tata Altroz in full camouflage. He claimed that it was not even the top-spec version. There is an exhaust present at the rear, which suggests that this is not the iconic Altroz EV, but its ICE version. This leaves us with two possibilities – Turbo Racer or E85 Altroz Flex Fuel.
Tata Motors is expected to launch its first flex fuel vehicle by the end of this year and testing may begin before the launch. However, we wish this test model was testing a turbo petrol engine under its bonnet and reviving the racer nameplate based on the newly facelifted standard Altroz.
It should be noted that the standard Altroz is missing a lot of features that were introduced with the pre-facelift Altroz Racer. We want these to make their way to the Altroz Racer or Altroz Turbo (not confirmed). These missing features include ventilated seats, 6-speed manual gearbox, all-black interior option and a turbo engine.
Currently, Tata offers two variants of its turbocharged 1.2L 3-cylinder engine – Revotron and Hyperion. The Revotron Turbo packs around 118 bhp of maximum power and 170 Nm of peak torque and then we have the Hyperion turbo engine which produces 123 bhp and 225 Nm. The pre-facelift Altroz Racer came with the Revotron Turbo engine, mated to a sole 6-speed manual gearbox.
Could it be E85 flex fuel?
We wish the new Altroz Racer based on the facelift version to come with the Hyperion engine with automatic gearbox option (7DCA or 6DCA). There is also a possibility that this could be testing of Tata’s E85 technology. The company showcased a flex fuel version of the Punch at the 2025 Auto Expo, but more vehicles may test this technology.
The flex fuel versions will come with advanced fuel storage, fuel supply and fuel injector systems along with a dedicated ECU. All of these ensure optimal conditions for combustion of fuel blends up to E85 (85% ethanol). Tata Motors has not announced whether Altroz Turbo Racer or Altroz E85 flex fuel versions are in development.