Official: Tata Kite 5 christened the Tigor

Its official! The long awaited Tata Kite 5 compact sedan has been christened the Tigor. Termed as a ‘Styleback’ this will be the new offering from the Mumbai based automaker and will slot in above the Tiago in their hierarchy. The car was previewed as the Kite 5 concept at the 2016 Auto Expo and a production version of the car spotted undisguised indicates that it will sport a design similar to that of the hatchback all the way the to the C-pillar. From there, there is a softly raked D-pillar that flows into stubby boot. The rear gets wrap around tail lamps and chrome strip above the number plate slot. The cabin has been carried over from the Tiago with exactly the same feature list, wheelbase and materials. It will be 3995mm in terms of length giving an additional 249mm of cabin space and most probably a boot with a capacity of over 300-litres which is expected to be achieved by reclining the rear seat back.This car will make use of the same engines from the Tiago. The petrol unit is a 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine producing 84bhp/114Nm while the diesel is a 1.0-litre unit producing 69bhp/140Nm. Both units are only offered with a five-speed manual but an AMT is also on the cards. It is expected to be launched later this year and will take on the likes of the Chevrolet Essentia and possibly new sub-compact compact sedans from Maruti Suzuki and Renault. Commenting on the Tigor name, Mayank Pareek, president, passenger vehicle business unit, Tata Motors said, “After HEXA, we are speeding towards our next market introduction, the Tata TIGOR which opens a new category of style and attitude in this segment. The break-free design dynamics of Tata TIGOR makes it India’s first ‘Styleback’. We will announce its commercial launch soon and are excited to see the IMPACT of the ‘Styleback’ on our customers.”