This story is from August 16, 2007

Tata to unveil small car at Jan Expo

Mansi Kapur / TNN / Aug 16, 2007, 00:09 IST

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Come January and you will see the automobile the world has been waiting for: The Rs 1 lakh-car.

MUMBAI: Come January and you will see the automobile the world has been waiting for: The Rs 1 lakh-car. Tata Motors will showcase its pet-product in the upcoming auto show in New Delhi on January 10, along with the new Indica and the new Indigo models.
‘‘We will showcase the Rs 1 lakh car at the auto show in January at New Delhi. The work at the plant in Singur has resumed after the monsoon and we hope to meet our launch deadline in mid-2008,'' a source close to the development said.
The 4 or 5-seater car will have four doors and will be powered by a 30 HP engine fitted in the rear.
Tata Motors has been struggling to meet the mid-2008 deadline for the commercial launch of its Rs 1 lakh-car as construction work at Singur-the mother plant for the project-was hit by protests and unrest.

Chairman Ratan Tata has also admitted that the deadline for the launch is likely to be pushed further due to the slow progress at the Singur plant. However, company officials have been insisting that development of the car is complete and that the vehicle is being currently tested.
‘‘The development on the car is complete as we have frozen the design. We are now in the process of fine-tuning it as it undergoes tests,'' the company source added.

Tata's proposed Rs 1 lakh-car has generated a lot of attention in the global automobile industry as it will be the cheapest car ever to be sold. With Tata Motors planning to export it in future, industry experts say the product will have to meet the global safety norms. Little wonder then, French carmaker Renault has tied up with Bajaj Auto to develop a car priced around the $3000 range (about Rs 1.2 lakh at current exchange rate).
Tata Motors will also display the new generation Indica, powered by Fiat's 1.3 litre engine and the new Indigo at the upcoming auto show at Delhi. The Indica and the Indigo will be launched in the first half of 2008.
The engine will be produced at Fiat's plant at Ranjangaon and will also feature in Fiat's products. The Indica has been steadily losing ground since last six months to the recently launched Maruti Swift diesel, which sports the same engine. Industry analysts said the new generation Indica, with a completely new look and Fiat's superior engine, will help Tata Motors stem its declining sales.

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