Tata to Launch Zest in August, Bolt to Follow in September

Tata Motors is on the brink of launching its new sedan Zest and hatch back Bolt in the country. The company, which is believed to have started the production of its next offerings, will launch the cars in the domestic market during this festive season.

IndianAutos Blog claims to have the launch information of both Bolt and Zest and says that Tata's sedan Zest will kick start the journey in the country in August and will be followed by the hatchback Bolt. However, the report does not reveal the exact launch date of the cars in India.

With the launch of new sedan and hatchback, Tata hopes to revive its position in the domestic market. The company which has been facing fierce competition from its rivals has lost the battle in the market with its small car Nano. The least expensive car had a crash landing in India and the company even suspended the production temporarily due to the paltry sales of the vehicles. In May, Tata Motors reported 24 per cent decline in total vehicle sales to 37,525 units last month.

Domestic passenger and commercial vehicle sales also declined by 24 per cent to 34,334 units in May 2014, down from 45,430 units last year. Sales of passenger vehicles in last month stood at 9,230 units, down by 17 per cent, from 11,134 vehicles sold in the same month of last year. The company sold 6,932 units of Nano, Indica and Indigo cars and 2,298 units of Sumo, Safari, Aria and Venture vehicles in May.

An Overview of Zest and Bolt

Tata Zest

Tata Zest is India's first sedan with Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) technologies. Zest will be offered in both petrol and diesel variants. The petrol version will be powered by a 1.2 litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged Revotron engine under the hood, which can churn out a power of 85 PS at 5000 RPM and a peak torque of 140 Nm 1750-3000 RPM.

The diesel model will come with a 1.3 litre Quadrajet motor, which can generate 90 PS power at 4000 RPM and 200Nm torque at 1750-3000 RPM. The vehicle is expected to be manufactured at the company's Ranjangaon facility alongside Tata Manzaa, whereas, Bolt will be produced at Tata's Pimpri-Chinchwad plant.

Expected price: ₹6 lakh -₹8 lakh.

Tata Bolt

Tata Bolt will be offered in both petrol and engine options. While the petrol model of Bolt will come with a 1.2 liter Revotron turbo petrol engine, which can churn out a power of 84 bhp at 5000 rpm and a torque of 140 Nm of 1750-3500 rpm, the diesel version will pack a 1.3 liter Multijet diesel motor.

The car is expected to come with features like audio system with MapMyIndia GPS, touchscreen and voice commands, center console, infotainment system, electric power steering in place of Tata Indica Vista's hydraulic unit, projector headlamps and LED tail lamps.

Expected price: ₹4.5 –₹7 lakh