Tata Engineering’s new sedan named Indigo

Mumbai: Tata Engineering has announced that its new offering, a mid-size sedan targeted at the hugely competitive C segment, will be called Indigo. The product is likely to hit the roads by the end of 2002.

According to the company, the car derives its name from the words 'India' and 'Go,' symbolising a nation on the move, and is aimed at Indians on the go, intending to make a purposeful statement.

Tata Engineering vice-president (sales and marketing - passenger car business unit) Rajiv Dube says the name Indigo invokes a sense of patriotism like Indica, which itself has created a strongest brand value in the country. “While we do not want to lose the brand equity of our first car we also want to convey a sense of progression through our contemporary sedan, and thus the company chose the name Indigo.“

Tata Indigo is designed to be the most spacious and comfortable sedan in its segment with class-leading ride and handling characteristics. Powered by an 85bhp petrol and a 62bhp turbo-diesel engine, the new car will have a large 500 litres of trunk space and 42 litres of fuel tank capacity. In addition the Indigo is likely to be fitted with a 1.4-litre engine as indicated by the company at the Auto Expo 2002.

While the price of the car has not been announced by the company Tata Engineering executive director (passenger car business unit and engineering research centre) V Sumantran indicated at a press briefing that it would be competitively priced. Analysts expect the car to be priced in the Rs 5-6-lakh range, as most cars in the C segment are priced at these levels.

As the current trends show a shift in passenger preference towards the lower end of the market, the company sees a number of top-end consumers shifting to the C segment in the future. Says Dube: “We do believe that our entry will revive interest in the segment.“