The new Tata Indica Vista which has been launched this week symbolises the growing partnership between Fiat and Tata Motors as it incorporates Fiat Group technology and is equipped with the 1.3 Multijet 16v turbodiesel engine.

Tata Motors has launched the new generation of the India’s first and only fully indigenous car , the Indica Vista, at a function at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai. The new Indica Vista symbolises the growing partnership between Fiat and Tata Motors as it incorporates Fiat Group derived technology and is equipped with the 75 bhp version of the 1.3 Multijet 16v turbodiesel engine, which is being built by the joint venture in India.

Tata Indica Vista

Launched first in 1998, the Indica went on to establish a leadership position in its class with category defining attributes of space, style, comfort, safety and fuel efficiency, most of which hold true even today - ten years down the line. Close to 9.1 lakh Indicas have been produced since then with over 1.127 million cars having rolled off the platform. The Indica achieved its highest sale of 144,690 nos. in its eighth year of launch in 2006-07 which is rare for any model so late in its life cycle. The car exited 2007-08 as the second largest selling model in the industry despite its product maturity and announced plans of the next generation being around the corner.

Speaking on the occasion of the launch, Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman, Tata Sons and Tata Motors, said, “The second generation Indica Vista showcases the progress Tata Motors has made over the last several years of its first outing in the passenger car business in design, quality, technology, performance and refinement. I have no doubt that our existing and potential customers will find the new Indica Vista a significant step up over the previous generation and in line with other world class offerings in the market. The company is greatly appreciative of the endorsement by the market of our first Indica offering and I am very hopeful that the Indica Vista will surpass its predecessor in appeal.”

The all new Indica Vista has been given a complete makeover. A complete new skin houses an all new interior and the sculpted evolutionary, yet very contemporary body makes a bold styling statement. At nearly 3.8m length and 1.7m width, with a wheel base of 2470mm, the car has grown in size, mostly in the interior space. A new central character line on the hood, sharp crease lines on the door below the beltline, a honeycomb grille and striking petal shaped headlamps complement the trademark smiling grille and tall tail lights that are distinctive to the Indica.

The interiors have the instrument cluster now placed in the centre of the dashboard to enhance in-driving passenger involvement and improved driver visibility. A dual tone grey and beige interior with a pleasing soft feel grain structure on the top end version gives the car a premium touch. A two DIN CD System with a USB port and remote control enables music to be customised to one’s needs.

On comfort too, the Indica Vista has a number of unique, thoughtful touches. The height adjustable driver’s seat and the tilt-adjustable steering wheel enable better driving posture. Utility space in the floor console under the seat and the deep glove box, which can accommodate a laptop, give that extra space when needed. Tubeless tyres, a new twist beam suspension, gas filled shock absorbers, a sub-frame construction for enhanced transverse stiffness lead to better ride and drive comfort as well as improved handling. The body has a higher use of high strength steel panels for enhanced torsional and bending stiffness. Tailor welded blanks have been used for the first time to reduce weight. Thoughtful touches, like the rear wiper switching on in reverse when the front wiper is on, are many.

The car is powered by a range of internationally acclaimed powertrains - the new 75 bhp 1.3L Quadrajet Common Rail Diesel engine and the 65bhp, 1.2L CVCP Safire MPFI petrol engine being manufactured at the new Fiat-Tata joint venture at Ranjangaon in Maharashtra. The Quadrajet operates at 1400 bar with 4 injections per cycle and delivers a high torque of 190Nm over a flatter speed range for better city driving. The Safire has a continuous variable cam phaser (CVCP) for improved drivability and fuel economy and a drive by wire technology for accelerator pedal control. Both engines are mated to a new cable aided gearbox with twin synchronisers for precise shift feel and quality. It also has the option of the existing 1.4L turbocharged intercooled TDi engine which has been refined further and mated to a smooth shift gearbox.

The car comes with a segment best 24 months (75000 km) warranty and will be available in a range of 7 colors through 170 dealerships across the country which are progressively being renovated to wear a refreshed identity being rolled out. The car is being launched in 7 variants priced at Rs.3.49 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi for the 1.2L petrol Safire at the low end going upto Rs.4.88 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi for the top end 1.3L Quadrajet. The TDi version comes at nearly the same price as the outgoing existing Indica V2 version. The company will launch an ABS, Airbags execution in the domestic market at the time of the car’s debut in international markets.

The existing Indica will continue to exist with a rationalised portfolio - the lower versions of the 1.2L Xeta and the 1.4L naturally aspirated IDI diesel and one version each of the DICOR and TCIC diesel, the latter being available with ABS and Airbags. Between the existing Indica V2 and new Indica Vista range, customers will have a choice at every step of the Rs.2.6 lakhs – Rs.4.88 lakhs price range.