Tata Kite 5 to go into production soon, likely to be launched during festive season; what we know so far

Tata Motors Kite 5 compact sedan is reportedly in its final stages of entering production ahead of its possible launch in India during the festive season this year. Tata Kite 5, the compact sedan based on the Tiago hatchback, had made its debut in its nearly production-ready guise at the Auto Expo 2016 in February.

A report of MotorOctane citing sources close to the development says Tata has completed the testing of the Kite 5 on public roads and the model is ready to hit the assembly line at the company's plant. Tata Motors is also in the process of finalising the name for the new compact sedan and is currently considering three names — Canvas, Dribble or Ingrid. It was earlier reported that the new Kite 5 could be called Sway, a name that, latest reports say, is out of consideration now. Tata is also expected to launch Hexa MPV and the Nexon compact SUV this year in India.

Tata Kite 5 measures 3,995mm in length, 1,647mm in width and 1,535mm in height. To be offered in both petrol and diesel engines, the Kite 5 will rival Maruti Swift Dzire, Honda Amaze, Volkswagen Ameo and Ford Figo Aspire in the domestic market.

The 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine will churn out 83.8bhp of power at 6,000rpm and 114Nm of torque at 3,500rpm, while the all-new 1.05-litre, three-cylinder turbo-charged diesel engine will develop 69bhp of power and 140Nm of torque. Both engines will be available with multi-drive modes — Eco and City.

The safety in Tata Kite 5 is expected to be taken care of by dual airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Corner Stability Control (CSC).