Tata Kite to have Lionel Messi as its brand ambassador - Report

Set to be powered by three-cylinder petrol and diesel engines.

Reports on the internet state that Tata Motors will appoint Argentine professional footballer, Lionel Messi, as the brand ambassador for its forthcoming hatchback, which is codenamed the Tata Kite. The Kite hatchback is reported to enter production in December 2015 at Tata's Sanand plant in Gujarat.

A TeamBHP report says that Tata has already shipped a few units of the Kite to Spain for shooting promotional videos/ad campaigns. The carmaker's most recent 'new' product launch, the Tata Bolt, hasn't clicked with the audience, with sales hovering in the three-digit figure. The Tata Zest, has seen sales slowdown in the past months as well.

According to market analysts, one of the reasons for the slow sales of the Bolt and Zest is that they carry over the familiar design of the Vista (on which they are based). However, reports say that the upcoming Kite and the Kite-based compact sedan will use an all-new design language, which is unseen on any Tata model.

Also read: Tata Zest anniversary edition launched at INR 5.89 lakhs

The Kite will be powered by a 1.2-liter three-cylinder petrol engine and a 1.05-liter three-cylinder diesel engine, though it remains to be seen if the F-Tronic automated manual transmission (AMT) is offered on the hatch.

[Source: TeamBHP]