Tata Motors set new endurance records with Tiago, Zest and Bolt

Tata Motors has broken multiple national records and no, these aren’t any old annual sales records but ones relating to speed and endurance. Using three of their factory-spec cars namely the Zest, the Bolt and the upcoming Tiago, the brand ran an 18-day, non-stop high-speed endurance drive on the 4.2 km long test track at the Vehicle Research & Development Establishment (VRDE) facility in Ahmednagar.

All three cars underwent the endurance run in varied driving conditions for the #GearedForGreat challenge and achieved multiple record-breaking distances. In fact, each car covered a total distance of 50,000km with an average speed of around 120kmph. In all, Tata Motors managed to set 360 records during the event which is a first by any Indian OEM.

The endurance run included petrol versions of the Zest and the Bolt and both petrol and diesel versions of the soon to be launched Tiago. All four cars first dispatched all existing records for 24 hours with the Bolt clocking 3161km at an average speed of 131.7kmph. Apart from short pit stops every 2 hours for driver changes, fuel fill-ups, routine checks, and cleaning of the windshield and headlamps, the four cars racked up the kilometres at a pace of 130 to 140kmph.

Besides the endurance test, another four cars of similar spec ran at a constant pace of 45 to 55kmph until each ran out of fuel. Ultimately, the Zest and the Bolt clocked-in fuel efficiency of 29.89kmpl and 28.32kmpl respectively, monitored under the ideal conditions.

Following are the categories under which the Tiago, the Zest and the Bolt set new national endurance records:

Indian National Record for Indian-built sub-compact sedans with petrol engines up to 1200cc

Indian National Record for Indian-built hatchbacks with petrol engines up to 1200cc

Indian National Record for Indian-built mini-hatchbacks with petrol engines up to 1200cc

Indian National Record for Indian-built mini-hatchbacks with diesel engines up to 1100cc