Tata Indica's Story

Tata Motors has always been a point of pride for Indians, be it the induction in the automotive hall of fame or the purchase of iconic British car brands – Jaguar and Land Rover. Tata Motors always manages to deliver milestones which have no equal in term of their stature. One such milestone and probably the most prominent one was the development and introduction of India’s first fully indigenously car: Indica. Ever since its production the car has become part of our lives either due to its immense success in the taxi sector or as an economically feasible diesel commute option for the masses. Indica offers good interior capacity in India, in its home market, competes with various cars of different manufacturers.

History of Indica
Tata Indica was launched in 1998 and was India’s first fully indigenous passenger car. It was the most modern car to be designed by an Indian company. Its name, Indica, is an amalgamation of wards ‘India’ (Indi) and ‘car’ (ca). According to Ratan Tata, Indica was designed to have the external dimensions of a Maruti Suzuki Zen while providing the interior space of a Hindustan Ambassador. Introduced with the tagline “More car per car”, the ad campaign focused on roomy interior and affordability. Indica was initially criticized by auto analysts but its excellent fuel economy, reliable and powerful engine and wonderful marketing strategy made it one of the best selling cars in the history of Indian automobile industry.
The first generation Indica showed prominent results by receiving an order of 1,15,000 cars within a week of its unveiling. There were numerous complaints barging in which led to oan update named ‘Indica V2’. This was the second generation Indica and was introduced in the year 2001.
Tata Motors even exported many Indicas to South Africa. The success of Indica played a key role in the growth of Tata Motors. Over the years many variants of the Tata Indica V2 were introduced; of which the Indica eV2 received much appreciation from experts such as Top Gear, Car Trade, and Overdrive etc. as one of the best hatchback.
Indica was launched in India’s most competitive automobile segment. An astounding 1,15,000 fully paid orders were booked within seven days; this continues to be an event unparalleled in Indian automobile industry’s history. This feat was made even more credible as it was the first venture of a company which was predominantly a truck and utility vehicle manufacturer. The success is not just restricted to India. Indica has found admirers in The UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Malta etc.

In the Current Times
Nowadays, Tata Indica is preceded by a spiritual successor named Tata Vista. Both, Indica and Vista are essentially the same with Vista having more modern features and better aesthetics. It is available in four variants – 1.2L Petrol, 1.4L Petrol, 1.4L TDI Diesel and 1.3L Multijet Diesel. An electric version of Tata Vista was introduced in India in 2011. This electric version has a range of 200km on a full charge.
3 Facts about Tata Indica

1. Indica sold its 100,000th car in a record period of 18 months.
2. Tata Motors become the youngest passenger car company in the world upon the introduction of Indica.
3. Indica is instrumental in creating a Rs. 46 billion passenger car business for Tata Motors within 5 years of launch.