The culture of hybrid cars in India is slowly gaining pace and a number of domestic as well as global auto majors are striving to make their mark in this segment. Among these car makers is the home-grown auto manufacturer, Tata Motors who is soon planning to launch its hybrid innovation. The car, which will be marking the advent of the company in the respective segment, is the Tata Manza Diesel Hybrid sedan. Tata Manza is the premium sedan offering of the company and is an affordable car, which bears a price tag of Rs. 5.50 lakh – Rs. 8 lakh. This sedan has been present in the domestic auto market since quite a long time bow and has been extensively used as a commercial as well as family car. The company has now decided to upgrade the sedan’s powertrain with a powerful electric motor; thus, making it more eco-friendly.
Tata Manza Diesel Hybrid was recently showcased in the Auto Expo and was lauded for the technology employed in it. The hybrid version of this sedan car is incorporated with a robust 1.05-litre Direct Common Rail turbo diesel engine, which has the ability to produce a power output of 62 bhp. This mill has been coupled with a 45-kW Electric Traction Motor, which will be providing the car a hybrid status. This blend of fuel source is mated to an electronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) type, which will be transferring all the energy to the front wheel. The company has not divulged any further information on this hybrid sedan car but sources are speculating that it will be able to do a range of over 1000 km on full charge and full tank.
This sedan car, in its hybrid avatar, bears quite a few striking cues in its overall design, with its rear and front profile heavily upgraded. The front grille of this car has been elongated and comprises a mesh deign with the company's logo mounted over it. The headlight cluster has been made sleek and includes the mixture of LED and Bi-xenon lamps for efficient Daytime Running. The side profile has also been redesigned and the rear of the car features sculpted taillights with LEDs provided. The inside of the car is expected to retain a number of features from its predecessor but they will be made more technically advanced.
At the inside, the hybrid sedan will be featuring ample space and will be striving to maintain its stature as a family car. Inclusions, such as auto start/stop, regenerative braking, touch screen infotainment panel, different driving modes and parking assist are expected to be arriving in the new car. Furthermore, a highly responsive power steering, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and multiple air bags will be strengthening the safety aspect of the hybrid sedan. Reports are suggesting that the car will be launched somewhere during 2015 and will be bearing a hefty price tag, which will justify its hybrid credentials. In such a case, experts believe that the new sedan will be more popular as a family car rather than a commercial vehicle.
