Tata Indica was the first car that was completely made in India. From technology to parts, they were all built under the Tata Motors Brand. Though there was a time, this Tata car was just an option. But now, it genuinely makes every Indian, especially the 90s Indians nostalgic.
Tata Indica was Launched in 1998 by Philantropist Ratan Tata Ji. Since then, there have been different generations of the car which were made available for the public.
Tata Indica Evolution from Generation to Generation
Since its first launch, the car has been upgraded regularly to meet the customers expectations. Being a 90s kid, i saw Maruti 800 as the common man’s vehicle. Then it was a time when Wagon R, Santro & Indica were the sensation. Though that time personally, i was never keen of the Tata Indica, but now when i see back, i realise thay what Tata gave to India was not just a car, but a million jobs to Indians, a vision to build Indigenous product, a change in the thought process, a hope of light for the Indian companies. This was what Tata did and for us it was just a car. Nevermind, but now Tata is an emotion and definitely for me my Future Cars will be Tata Always.
Let us now see how the Car has updated the features
First Generation
First Tata Indica was launched On 30 December 1998, It was the most modern car ever to be designed by an Indian company. Initially introduced with the caption “More car per car,” the ad campaign focused on roomy interiors and affordability. Within a week of its unveiling in 1999, the company received 115,000 orders. Within two years, the Indica had become the number-one car in its segment.
| Production | 1998–2001 |
| Assembly | Pune, India |
| Designed By | I.DE.A Institute, Turin Italy |
| Engine | Carburetted, inline, naturally aspirated (475DL) 1.2-L I4 (petrol) 1.4-L I4 (petrol) 1.4-L I4 (diesel) |
| Gearbox | Manual |
| Width | 1,665 mm |
| Length | 3,690 mm |
Other cool Features included :
- Power steering
- HVAC – heater, ventilation, and air conditioning
- Turbocharger and intercooler
- Alloy wheels
- Power windows
- Central locking with remote keyless entry
- Ventilated disc brakes
- Four-spoke steering wheel
- Tinted windscreen
- Powerful fog lamps
- Rear spoiler with integrated LED stop (brake) lamp
- Luxurious beige/black interiors
- Night-adjust rear-view mirror
- Chrome tip on silencer, chrome lining on grill and bonnet
- Audio warnings – driver/passenger seat belt warning, door open warning
- Tachometer (selected models)
- Child lock on rear doors (selected models)
- Alloy pedals
Second Generation – Indica V2
The immediate successor of First Generation Indica was the Indica V2. The First Generation Indica was not a perfect and Tata Motors tried to fix the flaws for better customer satisfaction in Indica V2. While the Indica V2 was in the market, the Indica First Generation was also sold in parts of the country,
| Production | 2001–2008 |
| Assembly | Pune, India |
| Designed By | I.DE.A Institute, Turin Italy |
| Engine | Direct Injection, inline, turbocharged, intercooled (475DL TDI) 1.2-L I4 (petrol) 1.4-L I4 (petrol) 1.4-L I4 (diesel) |
| Gearbox | Manual |
| Width | 1,665 mm |
| Length | 3,690 mm |
Indica V2 Fixed the following problems which existed in Indica First Generation.
- Indica V2 gave better Quality of bumpers, dashboard, suspension, gearshift, electricals, etc. as compared to first generation
- Indica diesel lacked performance because the Engine Was natural aspirated. The Indica V2 came with the Turbo Engine.
- The 1.4 litre 53 bhp engine was underpowered because the car was too heavy.
- The Height of steering was positioned in a better way.
- Build quality was improved with the Version 2.
Third Generation – Indica Vista
Indica Vista was the third major change what was done to keep the market presence of the Tata Indica. The car got a major style enhancement, but with the touch of original Indica was still alive. The Vista was initially offered with the following four engines- a 1.2 petrol, a 1.4-litre ‘DICOR’ diesel, a 1.3-litre ‘Quadrajet’ diesel, and a 1.4-litre petrol. The turbo-diesel, however, was discontinued in 2010 due to BSIV emission norms. Apart from the DICOR motor, all the engines were sourced from Fiat.
On 23-8-2008, the indica vista was launched. It is much bigger than the normal indica. The driving position is fully adjustable. This car is famous in India because of it’s fiat engines. This is one of the luxirious hatches in India. Even this car is sold in England.
In 2009, the tata indica crossed 10 years from the date of launch. So, it had lauched the limited edition indica vista which had new alloys, black roof and all golden coloured badges. After a few months, they even changed this variant and they added a golden colour with new upholstery with the same black roof.Now tata has also lauched the aura+ variant with the abs and airbags in 2010 and has also launched the tata indica vista drivetech4/euro 4 emissions norms. The electric tata indica vista known as the ‘EV’ is now also sold in spain and has received more than 500 orders in a very short period.
BAD BITS OF THE INDICA VISTA
1.Supension gets clunky over bumps sometimes.
2.Pedals are a bit akwardly placed.
3.Air con takes long time to cool the car when parked in bright sunlight.
4.Not very exciting to drive.
5.Interior quality needs to be upgraded.
| Production | 2008–2015 |
| Assembly | Pune, India |
| Designed By | I.DE.A Institute, Turin Italy |
| Engine | Direct Injection, inline, turbocharged, intercooled (475DL TDI) 1.2 L Safire I4 (petrol) 1.4 L Safire I4 (petrol) 1.4 L TDI I4 (diesel) 1.3 L Multijet I4 (diesel) |
| Gearbox | Manual |
| Width | 1,695 mm |
| Length | 3,795 mm |
Tata Indica Engine Options
After the Tata Indica, Tata has launched Bolt, Zest on the similar platform. Now there Tata Tiago rules the small segment cars. The Tata cars give the best quality in their segment. Now after acquiring the JLR, Tata is building cars of the Jaguar Land Rover platforms and making them available in the Indian Market.
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