Tata Indica - History

History

On 30 December 1998, Tata Motors (previously called TELCO) introduced the most modern car ever to be designed by an Indian company: the Indica. 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 bookings. In two years, the Indica became the number one car in its segment.

Partly designed and developed by Tata Motors, it is a five-door compact hatchback with a 1.4 L petrol/diesel I4 engine designated as 475DL internally. This is a homegrown engine which is derived from the engine used by Tata in their line of pickups and SUVs earlier but with a reduced stroke. The original engine was designated as 483DL which stood for 4-cylinder and 83 mm stroke.

The Indica offered options like air conditioning and electric windows, which were previously restricted to only upmarket imported cars in India. Three years later the Indica was exported to European markets for the first time, and from 2003 the Indica was badge engineered and sold in the UK as the Rover CityRover. This vehicle ceased production in April 2005 when MG Rover went bankrupt, and did not resume production when new owners Nanjing Automobile launched its own versions of the MG Rover range in 2007.

The outer body styling was done by Italian design house I.DE.A Institute, under contract from Tata Motors, with heavy interaction with Tata's in-house design team. The engine, however, was indigenous.