Tata Motors is moving at a very fast pace when it comes to the launch of new vehicles for the Indian market. The same momentum is seen when it comes to the testing of their vehicles. In fact, the company,has put the upcoming Kite sedan to the test on the race track at Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore.
Performance, handling and braking are the major factors that Tata Motors might be checking here. Not that the Kite sedan will be tuned for racing, but the manufacturer seems to be testing the car for better driving dynamics with a balanced suspension set-up in comparison to the current Indigo sedan. Just like the Kite hatchback, which will be based on the Indica's XO platform, the new compact sedan is expected to get the same underpinnings.
The Kite sedan and hatchback will borrow the powertrain from the Indigo and Indica respectively. However, there are speculations that the carmaker might add a new three-cylinder petrol and diesel mill option for these new vehicles. These engines are expected to be continued to come mated to a five-speed manual transmission, but we can also expect the AMT gearbox to be offered.
Since the prototypes of the Kite vehicles are still in the preliminary stages of testing, it is too early to comment how Tata Motors will place the cars in their line-up. They will take up nearly all of the installed capacity of 2,50,000 units at Tata's manufacturing facility in Sanand, Gujarat. Late 2015 or early 2016 is when we can expect these cars to be made available in the Indian market.
Image Source: Motorbeam