In addition to the much-talked about one-lakh car, Tata Motors has drawn up an aggressive new vehicle launch calendar for the current year.
Even as it primes itself for the roll-out of its ultra low cost super mini, the company will be launching a range of new vehicles, including a compact version of its Indigo sedan later this month, an upgraded version of its sports utility vehicle Sumo next month and the next generation of the Indica hatchback in the second half of this year.
“The new Indigo CS has the same engine space of the existing Indigo allowing the benefits of hatchback and a sedan,†said Mr Rajiv Dube, President, Passenger Cars, Tata Motors. He said that while the car is less than 4,000 mm in length, and though it will qualify for the size-based lower excise duty, it was not designed keeping the tariff benefits in mind, since the development process was started much earlier.
Tata Motors also launched the Sumo Grande, the new version of the Sumo utility vehicle that has been redesigned to combine the look and feel of a utility vehicle and a family car. The new Sumo Grande will feature the new generation 2.2 litre Dicor engine and is being priced at Rs 6.55 lakh to Rs 7.49 lakh, ex showroom Delhi for the two variants.
Tata Motors also unveiled the new generation Indica at the Auto Expo today. The new generation Indica has been given a complete makeover to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the car’s original launch. The new generation Indica is bigger and better equipped than its predecessor and it also features a completely new interior layout.
The new Indica, when launched later this year, will be equipped with a new 1.3 litre Quadra-jet common rail diesel engine and 1.2 litre Safire MPFI VVT petrol engine, both of which will be manufactured at the new Tata-Fiat joint venture plant at Ranjangaon. Tata Motors said that it would not replace the existing Indica and that the new generation version will be offered side-by-side with the current version, only at a higher price.
Refreshing the current Indica V2, Tata Motors today announced that the car is now being offered with the Dicor engine. The company will be offering the new Indica V2 Dicor at around Rs 25,000 higher than the existing model.
The company sells an average of 3,500 units of the Sumo and Safari and around 3,000 units of Indica and Indigo every month. Source: thehindubusinessline.com
