Tata Motors seem to be surprising the audience with every move of theirs. First they revealed the Revotron turbocharged petrol engine series and now they have showcased a bunch of exciting concept and production vehicles at the Delhi Auto Expo. They seem to be going through a hard phase of time over the last few months, the most recent incident being the death of their Managing Director, Mr Karl Slym. Inspite of these hardships they kept coming back. Over the last couple of months they have launched many facelifts but it doesn’t seem to have got the response they expected. But this years Auto Expo was a whole lot bigger and better for Tata Motors.
They showcased the following products:
Tata Bolt:
A hatchback based on the X1 chassis the Bolt will be powered by the all-new 1.2L Revotron turbo petrol engine and the well-know 1.3L (75bhp) Multijet diesel engine. The styling looks quite similar to the Vista. The designers have just worked on the existing product and make it looks a whole lot better. Thankfully the Christmas tree taillights are gone. The car now gets projector headlamps and an all-new sophisticated multimedia interface. The biggest change though has to be the interiors which look and feel awesome! Overall the Bolt feels like a very good replacement for the Vista.
Tata Zest:
A compact sedan based on the X1 chassis the Zest will also be powered by the same 1.2L Revotron petrol and 1.3L Multijet diesel engine. The front profile is identical to the Bolt. But the Zest looks extremely good from the rear, something which is rare on a compact sedan. The interiors are similar to those on the Bolt except for a few colour changes. Tata Motors seem to be following Maruti’s strategy as they are trying to make the Bolt compete with the Swift and Zest compete with the Dzire. In my opinion the Zest seems to be better than the Dzire and Amaze. If priced right Tata motors have a winner at their hands.
Tata Nano Twist Active:
Another version of the most affordable car on sale in India was showcased at the Auto Expo. Finally I can say that the car is complete as it gets the much needed function of an openable tailgate. Tata Motors have also given it different front and rear bumpers with a much bigger air dam, but it now makes the front end look a little weird. Tata will also launch the nano with an automatic transmission and possibly a bigger 3-cylinder engine.
Tata Nexon:
Another very interesting concept from Tata Motors is the Nexon. It is a mini SUV based on the same X1 chassis as the Bolt and Zest. It will be powered by a 3-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which will be mated to an automatic transmission. Tata designers seem to have really used their creativity to the limit as it has many interesting design aspects and features like a floating console, sliding doors, LED headlamps etc, but don’t expect so see these features on the production vehicle. The car will be 4metres long so it will get tax benefits so Tata will be pricing it competitively.
Tata Storme Ladakh edition and Tata Sumo Extreme:
Both are modified versions of their existing vehicles. The Storme Ladakh edition gets a whole set of beefed up cladding and wheel arches along with a new headlamp design, snorkel and a brand new set of stylish looking gunmetal alloy wheels mounted on some off-roading tyres. The Sumo Extreme was quite attention seeking in that bright red paint job. It comes with the well-known 3.0L CR4 diesel engine.
Conclusion:
To sum it all up, Tata Motors have seriously done a great job and have put in a lot of effort into the products showcased at this year’s Auto expo. Finally things seems to be falling in place for them and I hope they continue to do so. Though one surprising thing I found was that many vehicles front the current lineup such as the Manza, Vista and Aria weren’t even present. Does this mean these vehicles will be phased out? We really don’t know. All we can do is wait and watch, and I’m sure Tata Motors will surprise us again!
Pictures sources: Tata Motors, Autocar india
