Tata’s to launch New Indica Today

Tata Motors’ much awaited new Indica which is christened Indica Vista will be launched today.

The launch, which is almost a year late from its initial schedule, comes at a time when sale of the 10-year-old Indica brand is declining in recent months. Indica reported a 32 per cent drop at 7,525 units in July.

India’s first indigenous car Indica was launched in 1998 and the millionth car on Indica platform was launched in November 2007.

It is reported that the Indica Vista comes with three engines — 1.2L Safire (petrol) and 1.3L Quadrajet (diesel) which are sourced from Fiat and the 1.4L TDI which currently powers existing Indica. Indica Vista which will be available in three variants is expected to be priced between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh.

The car will be pitched against Hyundai Getz and Maruti’s Swift at the high end of compact car segment. “To a certain extent, the launch of new Indica may help the company revive its passenger car sales which off late showed 14-15 per cent decline particularly since it happens after so many years,” said an analyst.

“However, pricing will be an important factor in the success of the new launch. It also depends on how bug-free the new car is. Every manufacturer has some loyal customers who are waiting for the new launches. Therefore, there would be an increase in sales for the first three months,” he said.