The existing petrol version of Indica is priced at Rs 3.1 lakh in Mumbai and Rs 2.62 in Delhi. "The power burst of Telco in the petrol range is expected to help drive up sales this year, up to the 90,000 mark," according to general manager, commercial, passenger car business unit, Rajiv Dube. If Indica sales touch 85,000-90,000 units, it would also mark the break-even point for Tata Engineering's passenger-car venture.

The 75 bhp multi-point fuel-injection petrol version is the most powerful car in its class and is being positioned differently with accent on power and performance with a sportier image, says Dube.

The launch also marks an increase in the petrol focus of the company. The petrol hatchback category segment has grown 170 per cent in the country and the petrol mix is expected to account for around 20 per cent of the total production, Dube said. Indica 2000 MPFI has two variants: The economy version and LXi the luxury model. The Indica range has been expanded with out any additional investment and the project is well within its estimated cost of Rs 1,700 crore.

Indica 2000 is packed with a 16-bit microprocessor-controlled engine management system, interiors with white instrument panel and dual-tone centre console along with brighter upholstery. The future of the existing petrol carburetor variant will be decided on market response.

The Indica enjoys a market share of 8.8 per cent of the passenger-car market and 21 per cent of the cars in its category during its first full operating year. Indica has clocked sales of 54,480 cars in 1999-2000. During April 2000, Indica registered an aggressive sale of 5,143 cars, a gain of 207 per cent over the sale of 1,676 in April 1999. The target for May is 7,000. "This growth has been achieved with lesser number of dealerships that what competitors Maruti, Hyundai or Daewoo have. There are plans to increase dealerships from the present 57 to 75 by year-end.

With Indica's performance, Tata Engineering has emerged as the second-largest passenger-car manufacturer in the domestic market with sales of 82,836 cars and utility vehicles.

Painting the town black
Black beauties will soon be rolling out from Tata Engineering's paint shop. The Indica 2000 comes in two colours. The first one is the safe Indiana Red and the second a sheer black. It is for the first time that the colour black is seen in a car in its class. "We are taking a conscious risk of putting a black car in the market, says" Rajiv Dube, general manager (commercial), passenger car division. This move is a part of the strategy to position in differently with power and performance being its over-riding attributes. The design team thinks it looks good and Dube will be hoping to work magic with this `Mica Black'.