News: Tata to launch Rs 1 lakh car with petrol engine initially

(PTI 12/12/2006) Mumbai - Tata's Rs one-lakh car will initially be available only with a petrol engine and have the capacity to accommodate five persons, Tata Motors managing director Ravi Kant said on Tuesday.

"We may think of introducing a diesel version depending on the market situation," Kant told senior editors at a luncheon meeting.

The car’s looks are "unexpectedly fabulous". The car's space is slightly less than the Tata Indica, he said.

Asserting that Tata Motors is committed to its 2008 deadline to roll out the small car, Kant said it is "certainly not a modification of autorickshaws but "a state-of-the-art car with a swanky look".

According to the company's plans, Tata Motors intends to initially manufacture 2.5 lakh cars and this will be stepped up to a million cars in three to four years, for which a demand would have to be generated.

Asked if he expected more automakers to enter the fray, Kant said his company is not afraid of competition and this is the first time a small car has been indigenously developed in India - a development that was keenly observed the world over.

"It will be an indigenous car," he said, adding the car would be manufactured for the domestic market and exports would be considered at a later stage.