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The Tata Indica is a small hatchback automobile manufactured by Tata Motors of India. The model is also exported to Europe as well as retailing in South Africa as from late 2004. In the UK it was imported by MG Rover and was called the CityRover.
History In 1998, Tata Motors introduced the most modern car ever to be designed by an Indian company: the Indica. It was well marketed with slogans like "The Big.. Small Car" and "More car per car", the ad campaign focused on roomy interiors and affordability. Completely designed and developed by Tata Motors, it is a five-door compact hatchback with a 1.4 L petrol/diesel engine, well bred from the Tata stable. It offered options like air conditioning and electric windows, which were previously restricted to only upmarket imported cars in India. Three years later the Indica was exported to European markets for the first time, and from 2003 the Indica was rebadged in Britain as the CityRover. Contrary to popular belief, it was not designed entirely in India, strictly speaking. It was designed by a famous Italian design house called IDEA, under contract from Tata Motors, with heavy interaction with Tata's in-house design team. Cracking the Global Market In early 2004, Tata Motors attempted to seize a piece of the lucrative South African automobile pie, by releasing the Telcoline 2x4 and 4x4 pickup trucks at prices far below the market average. In late 2004, Tata released its Indica and Indigo range, aimed at the young driver demographic or those looking for an affordable yet reliable car. As of mid-2005, Tata reported that they were 'one of the fastest growing automobile brands in South Africa'. The Indian car manufacturer now commands a respectable market share in South Africa. Driveability and Functionality A varied number of professional test-drives and their subsequent write-ups have had a wide range of reviews, although almost all allow for the fact that whilst the 1.4l 8-valve petrol engine of the Xeta/Turbo Deisel is quite powerful for the price, the fuel economy - coupled with an accessible retail price - sets this to be bottom-range economy family car with 'excellent value for money'. Purchased new, the Indica offers a wide range of accessories and optional extras, including: Indica v2 When the car was first launched, it suffered from various performance and efficiency glitches, which caused persistent grief amongst the early customers. In response to the customer complaints, Tata Motors greatly re-engineered the internals of the car and lauched it as Indica V2 (or version 2), which solved most of the complaints and emerged as one of the most favored cars in the Indian automobile industry. An year back it was again updated, now marketed as "Refreshingly New Indica V2". The latest variant of Indica is the Indica V2 Xeta Petrol, which delivers 70ps of power at a fuel efficiency of 14 kmpl * under standard test conditions. In Indian city conditions, the consumption can drop to about 10 kmpl. In India, 3 versions are available with 4 sub models each. In its home market, the Indica offers loads of space inside and competes with the Maruti Swift, the Hyundai Getz, and the oldest car of the set, the Fiat Palio (In fact, it was the Palio which defined the class of cars, with a size somewhere in between the small cars and the mid-sized cars.) There are two engines on offer- a 1.4-liter 70 bhp petrol as well as a 1.4-liter 62/68 bhp turbo-diesel. (It is not clear whether all the diesel models are necessarily fitted with turbochargers now. As recently as Dec 2005, non-turbocharged diesel models with wimpy 53 bhp ratings were available with the v2 badge.) The slightly higher-than-average unladen weight makes for a relatively comfortable ride compared to lighter cars. Fit and finish continue to play catch-up with the Fiats and Marutis. The Indica platform spawned off a number of variants, including the Tata Indigo three-box sedan and the Indigo Marina estate car. 2006 Indica Silhouette Concept During India's 2006 Auto Expo in New Delhi, Tata unveiled the Indica Silhouette concept car, a radical, high-performance Indica featuring rear-wheel drive, extensive bodywork, and a 3.5 liter 330HP V6. The car is capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds, and maxes out at 270km/h. The Silhouette is currently only a concept vehicle, and is obviously a far cry from the standard Indica. | ||||||||
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