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THE CONCEPT WAS SHOWN AT THE NATIONAL 4X4 & OUTDOORS SHOW IN AUSTRALIA. The Australian automakers – at least a dozen of them – are not going to lay low even after the Melbourne Motor
Show was cancelled in the face of declining attendance and lackluster support from other automotive brands. Instead, the few interested automakers are now coming up with innovative ways to
keep the show going in the form of National 4X4 and Outdoors Show and the Fishing & Boating Expo. And our very own Indian auto giant, Tata Motors decided to use the opportunity to
show off its potential at the National 4X4 & Outdoors Show by presenting a new Concept based on its Xenon pick-up called Tuff Truck. Jointly developed with Australian distributor Fusion
Automotive, the Tuff Truck was designed by Julian Quincey who also happens to be the chief designer at Holden Special Vehicles (HSV). Based on the Xenon Dual Cab and finished in a sating
grey colour, the Tuff Truck Concept features an aggressive front bumper with LED daytime running lights, 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in off-road tyres, a winch and tow hooks. The model has
also been equipped with an LED light bar and a snorkel. Tata has not made any modifications under the hood and the Tuff Truck is powered by a 2.2-liter turbodiesel engine that sends 148 PS
of max power to all four wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. The Tata Tuff Truck is fully functional, however it will likely remain just a Concept. The regular Tata Xenon is slated
to make its debut in Australia in October 2013. “The acceptance I am looking for is brand appeal. If you look at the Xenon and the toughness and appeal that it offers in its segment, doing
the Tuff Truck Concept immediately boosts that brand appeal from day one. But at the moment it is purely a concept. I’d love to put it in production someday. But the reality is there needs
to be the market demand for it first,” said Darren Bowler, managing director of Australian Tata distributor Fusion Automotive. ALSO READ: