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How long should we wait for the Tata Aria AT to arrive?

by Paul Joseph January 24, 2012 Featured

Tata Motors showcased the Aria AT concept at the Auto Expo and vehicle looked production ready. The launch of the Aria has not been a very sweet phase for the company that showed its maturity and manufacturing prowess through this project. Despite the initial setbacks, Tata is firing in all cylinders and hopes the customer will fully understand the product in the future. One way of achieving this is by addressing needs of smaller groups. Case in point is the automatic transmission variant. There are no MPVs in the market today that offer diesel AT variants. Tata has identified an opportunity here. The Aria AT concept is strapped with a 6-speed AT featuring Tiptronic gear selection. Sport, Economy and Cruise are the driving options that can be selected. On top of what the top-end model offers, Tata has packed the concept with features such as Harman acoustic system, gold and silver finished inside door release, leather upholstery and smoked bezel headlights/tail lights. The autobox should have been developed with the Safari Storme in mind as the two share a lot in common. Images were sent by IAB reader Siddharth Shankar.

Tagged as: tata, tata aria at

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Did you check out the sporty interior of the Indica Vista Concept S2?

by Paul Joseph January 24, 2012 Featured

At the Delhi Auto show earlier in the month, Tata thickly populated its pavilion with the most interesting exhibits. Tata brought down technologies, unreleased models and concept vehicles that not only provided the route map of the company’s new journey but also promised a boom-filled 2012 and 2013. Standing next to the Manza Nova concept was the Indica Vista Concept S2. On first glance it looked like a kitted-up Vista with LED lights, different bumpers and two tone body paint, but there is more than what meets the eye. Did you know that its interiors have been laid out differently? Thanks to our friends at Motor Vikatan, we are able to show you a rare image of what’s changed. The interiors have been stimulated with the addition of a smaller diameter steering wheel, a sleek gear lever, drilled pedals, black upholstery with red stitching, a rev counter on the steering column (a la Beat) and an infotainment system controlled by a giant LCD screen mounted below the AC vents. Under the hood, Tata continues to explain this isn’t just a fancy-bodied vehicle meant for show. A turbocharged 1.4L petrol engine producing 140PS/188Nm is paired to the same 5-speed manual transmission with revised ratios powers the vehicle. It is equipped with 205/40 R17 low profile tires shod on 17 inch alloys. 8/10 Vistas in the market in recent times are diesel variants. There is limited demand for a naturally aspirated, petrol-sipping engine, leave alone a fire-breathing turbocharged unit. The cosmetic additions carried over to the road-going model could make the Vista a lot more sporty but otherwise the takeaway is minimum. Can the Indica Vista S2 act as a good vehicle for a feeder series? That certainly sounds interesting! [Source - FaceBook.com/MotorVikatan ]

Tagged as: auto expo 2012, indica vista concept s2, tata

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Tata Motors facelifts Ace mini truck

by Paul Joseph January 23, 2012 Featured

Tata Motors refreshed the massively popular Ace mini truck launched back in 2005 and showcased it at the Auto Expo earlier in the month. The 750kg payload truck receives cosmetic changes to its front end with squared headlamps, wider outside mirrors, new dashboard with redesigned central console and mobile charging facility. It is evident that Tata’s planting common design chromosomes across its product offerings in the commercial vehicle division. The Ace retains the 700cc (half the Indica’s engine block) IDI engine that produces a modest 16hp/38Nm. Tata’s working on the Ace DICOR likely to be market-ready in the course of 2012. Tata Motors held back details on the pricing front. The product launch is likely to be conducted in the next few months during which all the details will be up for grabs.

Tagged as: tata, tata ace ex, tata ace facelift

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Isn’t the Nova edition a good starting point for the Manza facelift?

by Paul Joseph January 19, 2012 Featured

By mid-to-late 2012 Tata Motors should revisit the Manza. Why? In 2011 the Vista received new features and cosmetic changes. In 2012, the Manza, launched a year after the Vista in 2009, should have scheduled an appointment with the plastic surgeon. Which direction will Tata take with the facelift? Will they lend it a very sophisticated look using design cues from the Manza hybrid concept? Or will they be more conservative to play it safe? Leaving the styling direction behind, we know the feature add-ons Tata Motors is considering after seeing the Nova concept at the Expo. Surely many of the features shown on the concept has to make it to the production line as they are realistic and seem to be a product of customer feedback. The Manza Nova concept had features customers will love! There’s more chrome, features and goodies on the Nova. On the exterior, the brown shade and alloy wheels are new. Interiors look fresh with plum and black color scheme, cozy leather seats, auto-dimming rear view mirror, new 2 DIN stereo with more powerful speakers and reverse park assist with screen marked using grids projected on the cabin mirror. There are chrome accents around the cabin including the gear lever and hand brake to lend it a premium look. These features will further brighten the appeal of the Manza in what otherwise is a boring landscape. [Images sourced from - facebook.com/IndigoManza and HK-Harry]

Tagged as: tata, tata indigo manza nova, tata manza nova

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Spied: Tata’s Ultra LCV spotted testing in Pune

by Paul Joseph January 19, 2012 Featured

Our regular reader from Pune, Suresh Deshpande has sent spy shots of Tata Motors Ultra LCV doing the rounds in Pune. The Ultra was showcased at the 2012 Auto Expo in all its glory. However, as Tata Motors still had some testing left, the company did not launch the LCV in Delhi. The Tata Ultra LCV & ICV range will comprise a series of variants from 5 to 14 tonnes. The range will be powered by new generation 3L (138 HP) and 5L (168 HP) common rail (DICOR) 16-valve engines. The highlights of the Ultra LCV are: Steel cabin with hydraulic cabin tilt mechanism Steel rolled chassis frame A dash-mounted cable shift gear Seats with integral headrest Tiltable, telescopic and collapsible power steering Clear-lens headlamps Radial tyres Parabolic leaf springs First time in the category, disc brakes ensure safer transit of goods Tata Motors Ultra 714 was shown at the Auto Expo this month Tata Motors is giving its products a similar face right from the Ace to the Ultra trucks. The facelift of the Ace was also shown at the Auto Expo featuring a new front fascia.

Tagged as: commercial-vehicles, spy pictures, tata, tata ultra, tata ultra 714

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Get up close with Tata Indica Vista EV [Video]

by Paul Joseph January 16, 2012 Featured

The Tata Vista EV, developed in International Automotive Research Centre at the University of Warwick Campus, Coventry, is a fully-electric 4-seater hatchback with impressive performance characteristics such as 110 miles range and a top speed of 71 mph. The Vista EV was parked at the 2012 Auto Expo in Delhi demonstrating Tata Motors’ technological prowess. But, in case you missed it, here is a nicely edited video showing the features of the Vista EV.

Tagged as: electric vehicles, tata, tata indica vista ev, tata vista ev

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Get up close with the Tata eMO concept [Video]

by Paul Joseph January 12, 2012 Featured

When Tata Motors was busy telling us about Nano CNG and Pixel at the 2012 New Delhi Auto Expo, a small team was secretly working on the Tata eMO concept. The eMO, short for Electric Mobility, is the center piece at the Tata Motors stall in Detroit. It is a plug-in EV that can travel a 100-mile range on full charge with a top speed of 65 miles per hour. However, it is a purely theoretical study with no production plans. Now, Tata Motors have released a small video of the eMO concept for us. Have a look at it and let us know what you think.

Tagged as: tata, tata emo, tata emo concept

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Tata Motors’s mysterious 1-liter 3cyl DICOR engine at Auto Expo

by Paul Joseph January 12, 2012 Featured

Curtains have fallen on the Delhi Auto Expo but we sure aren’t done talking about all the interesting displays. Case in point is the three-cylinder DICOR engine shown at the Tata Motors pavilion. The company has not shared data on its underpinnings which is why we believe its a 1.4-liter (from the Indica eV2) with one deleted cylinder. The new engine belts out 65PS of power and 140Nm of torque. The Manza hybrid concept vehicle standing next to it hides one under its bonnet. Tata Nano will have its own two-cylinder sub-1 liter diesel engine and the Vista is unlikely to nix its well-refined 1.3-liter Fiat unit for this three-cylinder. That brings us to the question – For application in which production vehicle was this engine designed for? Surely it can’t hold on until the Manza hybrid is ready to head out to dealerships. Is it for a future product that replaces the Indica eV2 or sits right between the Nano and the eV2? Or is Tata about to pull off a 30kmpl on the eV2 with the help of this downsized motor? What do you think? Image credit – HK-Harry

Tagged as: tata, tata 1.0 dicor, tata dicor, tata motors

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Tata Motors nixes Prima; No plans to enter D sedan segment

by Paul Joseph January 10, 2012 Featured

Back at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, Tata Motors showcased the Prima concept sedan to the world. The concept was designed by Pininfarina and had striking character lines. The sedan revealed Tata Motors’ ambitions to enter the D sedan market in India and Europe. The posed a huge treat to existing contenders such as Cruze, Corolla, Civic et all. However, Tata Motors has decided to not put Prima in production and more importantly not to enter the D segment sedan market. Tata Motors Chairman, Ratan Tata – This is a very busy segment. The cars here are either CBUs or CKD/SKD kits that are assembled. We will find it difficult to compete in terms of scale and refinement. The Indigo Manza will continue to be the most expensive sedan in the Tata Motors portfolio. Do you think Tata Motors has taken a wise decision? [Source: BSMotoring.com ]

Tagged as: tata, tata indigo, tata prima

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Tata Safari Storme promotional video footage

by Paul Joseph January 7, 2012 Featured

Tata Motors has presented promotional footage of the next generation Safari – the Safari Storme – on its Youtube channel. The Storme retains the predecessor’s 2.2-liter DICOR engine making 140PS@4,000 RPM and 320Nm@1,700-2,700 RPM. It is exactly the same length as the original, but slightly wider (1965 mm compared to 1918 mm) and a wee bit shorter (1922mm). The wheelbase is identical and the ground clearance has been reduced by 5mm. An improved 5-speed manual transmission and electronic shift on the fly to 4×4 are also carried over. The new Safari comes with features such as pull type door handles, wooden finish on the center console and doors, underfloor spare wheel mounting and reverse parking system. Images shot by IAB reader Siddharth Shankar.

Tagged as: tata, tata safari storme, tata safari storme video

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