Tata Motors set to launch Kite hatchback & compact sedan soon

Tata is set to launch the replacement of the ageing Indica and Indigo CS soon. The carmaker has begun teasing the model via an online video. The new siblings, codenamed ‘Kite 4’ for the hatchback and ‘Kite 5’ for the compact sedan, will share their platform and certain components with the Indica though in essence the two will be completely new cars.

Both Kite body styles will use the original Indica’s X0 platform as a base, but apart from a few ‘hard points’ like the pedal box, engine firewall and wheelbase, there will be no carryover parts. The X0 platform itself will be greatly beefed up to improve torsional rigidity, refinement and dynamics. 

A lot of effort has gone into the styling of the Kite family which will come with Tata Motors new design language and will look quite different from anything in Tata model range. 

Underpinning the Kites’ chassis will be an all-new suspension system. The fully-independent rear suspension of the first-generation Indica, which caused a lot of wheel geometry issues, has been replaced by a more conventional non-independent, twist beam axle seen in most hatchbacks today. The Kites will feature a wider track than its predecessor and get the latest-generation Electric Power Steering (EPS) unit that has won praise in the Bolt and Zest.

The Kite siblings will be powered by two new engines. One will be the 1.05-litre diesel, which made its public debut at the 2012 Auto Expo under the hood of the Manza Hybrid Concept. The motor, is essentially a three-cylinder version of the original 1,405cc, four-cylinder diesel which has been re-engineered with counterbalancing shafts, a stiffer block and reduced friction. The output is expected to be around 67bhp and 14kgm of torque with fuel efficiency upwards of 25kpl in the official test cycle. 

The second of the two motors is an all-new, in-house developed naturally-aspirated 1.2 petrol motor. The engine is a lightweight aluminium three-cylinder unit with four valves per cylinder, and is expected to produce around 84bhp and 11kgm of torque. It features tech like roller finger followers and hydraulic lash adjusters for noise reduction and lower maintenance. 

The petrol motor is expected to share the ‘Revotron’ name with the more old-school 1.2 Revotron turbocharged engine which currently powers the larger Zest and Bolt. It is unclear how the current 1.2 Revotron, with its cast-iron block and two-valves per cylinder head, will sit alongside the naturally aspirated 1.2 litre three cylinder petrol in the model range but it likely that the current 1.2 turbo-petrol will get a bump up in power and torque to clearly distinguish it from the new 1.2 triple. 

The Kite hatchback will be positioned at the lower end of the B-segment and will compete with the likes of the Maruti Celerio. Tata is looking to price the new Kite siblings aggressively with the hatchback’s prices expected to start from around Rs 3.6 lakh. Tata will be looking to avoid the mistakes it made with the Bolt hatchback in regards to its pricing.

The sedan on the other hand will have no direct competitors as it will be priced at the bottom end of the sub 4 metre segment. 

Source: Autocar India