Tata Kite hatchback spotted on test

Tata's upcoming new hatchback from the 'Kite' project was spotted on test again. The increase in the sightings of the test vehicles hints that the manufacturer has spruced up the testing process of the small hatchback.

The test mule that was spotted in a disguised avatar seems to be in a better form in comparison to the prototypes spied earlier. This Kite hatchback is expected to be the latest iteration of the Indica and will be underpinned by a revised XO platform. The car sports a tall-boy design and will get a new grille, restyled headlights and bumpers. The design of the alloy wheels is also new and gives the car a better look. The rear bumper is redesigned and looks nowhere close to the one on the Indica. The tail lamps are also new unlike the Christmas-tree arrangement on the Indica.

The cabin of the upcoming hatchback will come equipped with better quality materials as against the present Indica. The instrument cluster will get a white-lit background and the new car is expected to feature the latest technology from Tata’s HorizoNext strategy. There are speculations that the top-of-the-line model will get a touch-screen system with navigation option like the Bolt. 

While the Tata Kite hatchback is expected to borrow the powertrain from its current siblings, there are speculations that the carmaker might bring in a new three-cylinder petrol and diesel engine for this new car. This might include a 1.2-litre petrol mill and a new 1.05-litre diesel mill that might be employed under the hood of the oil-burner. The five-speed manual transmission might be carried over and the AMT gearbox might also be offered as an option.

We can expect Tata Motors to launch this vehicle by the second half of 2015 or early 2016. It will be produced at Tata's manufacturing facility at Sanand, Gujarat where it will be accompanied by the Kite compact sedan. The upcoming hatchback will be put forth as a new entry in the small-car segment and might replace the Indica. It will compete with the Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Datsun GO and the Chevrolet Spark when launched in India.

Image Courtesy: Team-bhp