Rs 1-lakh car may get a tad costlier on way to showroom

TATA Motors’ much-anticipated small car will be priced at Rs 1 lakh ex-factory, confirmed Mr. Ratan Tata speaking at press conference in Geneva on Tuesday. This means the showroom price of the car is likely to be around Rs 1.25 lakh including the excise duty, sales tax, octroi, transportation costs and other expenses. The car will be powered by a 600 cc rear engine and will have the capacity to seat four five people. While the basic model will be priced at Rs 1 lakh, there will be more expensive variants with trims like air-conditioning, power steering and power windows. Tata Motors also unveiled the concept car — Tata Elegante at the Geneva Motor show. Elegante is based on an all-new platform and the company confirmed that the next generation Indica and Indigo “will bear a great resemblance” to the concept car. “Several of the design cues of the Tata Elegante are incorporated in the forthcoming generation of Indica and Indigo cars.” said Mr Tata. The next gen Indica will hit the roads in 2008 and the Indigo will follow in six months. A company spokesperson refused to comment on whether the existing Indica and Indigo platforms will continue to be sold after the new vehicles come into the market. The Tata Elegante is larger than the current Indigo sedan and conceptualised to incorporate four-cylinder transverse petrol and diesel engines from 1.4 litres through to 2 litres and a compact V6 petrol power unit. A common rail direct injection turbo diesel engine which will comply with Euro V emissions norms will also be available. The car complies with European safety, crashworthiness and emission standards, according to a company press release.
Competitors may stand in way, says Ratan Tata
Tata group chairman Ratan Tata on Tuesday hit out at competitors, saying they would come in the way of the group coming up with a car priced below Rs one lakh even if the government offered special incentives, report agencies. Talking to visiting Indian journalists at the Geneva Auto Show here, Mr Tata declined to name the competitors but qualified these rivals as “everybody who is parochial and wants to protect their product”.

Courtesy: EconomicTimes
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