Tata Motors, India’s largest vehicle manufacturer, with revenues of US$42-billion, is sticking to its promise to introduce new products every year by displaying a host of new models at the 2016 Auto Expo in India. Some of these vehicles, such as the small car formerly known Zica, are bound to make their way to southern Africa, after the various derivatives have undergone local static product clinics and dynamic evaluation on test tracks and public roads.
Zica hatchback, which is the first Tata model using the IMPACT global design cues from Tata’s facilities in Pune (India), the United Kingdom and Italy. The car’s name was derived from a combination of “zippy” and “car”, but unfortunately it has to be renamed due to the similarity between Zica the car and Zika the mosquito-borne virus which is ravaging many countries in the world.
The new name for the Zica is Tiago. The choice of name was the result of successful global public participation through the #Fantastico Name Hunt. Within three days 48 million enthusiasts engaged with the Tata brand on social platforms with more than 37 000 car fans submitting their suggestions through social and mobile channels. Tiago was chosen from a final short list of three names: Tiago, Civet and Adore, which were opened up for public voting.
Tiago is now the name for the new Tata small hatchback model, which is targeted at younger buyers, is backed by Tata Motors’ “Made of Great” campaign with the slogan “What drives us from within is what makes us great.”
The attractively styled Tiago features a new, hexagonal grille and multi-faceted Tata emblem. It has a spacious interior with 22 utility storage spaces and a luggage compartment providing 242 litres of load space.
There are two engine options: the petrol Revotron and the turbo-diesel Revotorq, both state-of-the-art engines developed in-house by Tata. The Revotron is a 1.2-litre three-cylinder power unit developing 64kW of power and 115N.m of torque, while the 1.05-litre diesel power unit develops 53kW of power and 140N.m of torque. Both engines have City and Eco settings available to the driver using an advanced engine management system. The engines drive the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox.
Tata is undergoing a brand renewal in South Africa as it gears up to be a bigger player in the local market. The brand building programme that started last year is being undertaken with the full support of Tata Motors which has invested significantly in market research on which to base the renewal programme.
This includes the introduction of new products, improving the dealer network by upskilling dealer personnel and restructuring the head office to make the whole operation more efficient.
An important newcomer to the Tata range is the well-equipped Nexon compact SUV which offers exceptional versatility and a high level of standard specification in terms of trim and features. The Nexon is powered by either a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine or a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel delivering 83kW of power and 260N.m of torque The six-speed manual transmission is linked to three driving modes and 200mm of ground clearance.