You now know that the Honda Amaze compact sedan has launched in India, and Mahindra's Verito Vibe, is coming to town next month.
Since the relaunch of the Dzire last year, sales numbers have grown multi-fold for Maruti, even bettering the Swift on some occasions. Hyundai and Ford have to replace their current entry-level sedans by mid-decade, and would be watching the sub-4m rule closely.
Its logical to conclude that the sub-4m sedan segment has action-packed years ahead of it.
The Tata Indigo eCS, the car that pioneered this segment in early 2008, has undergone a cosmetic refresh. This is the first time the Indigo's received a serious cosmetic change. When the CS became the eCS, the fuel efficiency was improved to a then industry leading 25kmpl, but the upgrades were restricted to new colors and wheels.
The Indigo eCS facelift gets a beehive grille in place of horizontal slabs, a revised bumper alongside smoked headlights and reverse parking sensors. The interiors are expected to change mildly. The 1.4-liter CR4 engine and the 5-speed manual gearbox won't get upgrades, meaning that the peak power will remain at 70 bhp and the peak torque would be no higher than 140 Nm.
Though not very popular in a diesel-dominated market, the eCS is also available with a 1.2-liter petrol engine. A CNG edition was spotted on test a few months ago, but is yet to hit showrooms. The eCS facelift should come out anytime this year, perhaps loaded with the extra fuel option.
The Indigo eCS facelift may not go on become India's top seller or give stiff competition to the well-price Honda Amaze. Until Tata has a new generation sub-4m sedan to offer, they'll have to tinker their existing line-up to limit the damage or impact of new launches.
[Source - IndianCarsBikes.in]
