Production-ready Tata Kite with Narain Karthikeyan behind the wheel - Spied

30/07/2015 - 17:05 Tata Kite, Tata Motors, Spy pictures Anjan Ravi

Expected with three-cylinder petrol and diesel engines.

A production-ready albeit camouflaged prototype of the Tata Kite (codename) hatchback was snapped at Lonavla, Maharashtra recently with former F1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan at the wheel. Tata Motors stated last year that the F1 driver would help the company fine tune its products for ride and handling, and this could very well be one of those exercises.

Tata Kite tested by Narain Karthikeyan — The Kite is based on a re-engineered version of the Indica platform.

Compared to previous prototypes, the Kite spotted here gets production-ready alloy wheels (10-spoke units), a production-spec front bumper with circular foglights and a split layout for the airdam. Other design highlights seen on the Kite include a honeycomb-mesh grille, wing mirrors borrowed from the Zest/Bolt and a stubby rear spoiler.

The Kite is expected to launch in the coming months with all-new petrol and diesel engines. Both fuel types are expected to get three-cylinder engines paired to manual and automated manual transmissions (AMT). According to reports, an e-clutch system would also be offered on the Kite.

Tata Kite Narain Karthikeyan spied — The Kite family will also include a compact sedan, which could be introduced later in 2016.

Also read: Tata GenX Nano AMT - First Drive Review

Based on a re-engineered version of the Indica's platform, the Kite and a compact sedan based on it are the next two 'all-new' products from Tata Motors. The Kite hatchback will replace the Indica in the private passenger market, while the compact sedan will succeed the Indigo eCS. Both, the eCS and the Indica are expected to continue in the commercial segment though.

[Source - CarWale]