Tata Motors says 'tata' to Indica, Indigo; Tiago, Tigor replace old guards

Tata Motors launched the Indica in 1998 and Indigo in 2002. Both cars had been instrumental in Tata Motors journey towards becoming a significant player in the passenger vehicle industry of India. After two nearly decades of service, the twins will now make way for new models.

Tata Indica — Tata Motors launched Indica in 1998

Tata Motors has not manufactured Indica and Indigo starting from April 2018
Stocks left at Tata Motors dealers are up for grabs
The Indica is India's first indigenously developed passenger car
Tata Motors will continue service support to Indica and Indigo owners

Tata Motors has pulled the plug on two of its long-standing models — Indica and Indigo. Tata Motors has not manufactured a single unit of its Indica hatchback and Indigo sedan from April 2018, confirms data provided by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

A Tata Motors spokesperson further confirmed the ceasing of production to ET Auto: "With the changing market dynamics and the evolution of Tata Motors design language towards impactful design, we have decided to phase out the Indica and the Indigo eCS, a common phenomenon in a product lifecycle."

Ratan Tata, Tata Indica — Former Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata poses with the company's new "Indica Vista" car during its launch in Mumbai August 23, 2008.REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe

Launched in 1998, the original Indica was India's first indigenously developed passenger car. After the infancy stage of Tata Motors in the passenger vehicle segment with the Estate and the Sierra, India was the breakthrough model for the home-grown carmaker. The Indica got over 1 lakh bookings soon after the launch and it became the segment leader in just two years. After glorious 10 years, Tata Motors launched the second generation of the Indica in 2008 christened Indica Vista.

In the meantime, Tata Motors also launched the Indigo sedan in 2002. The Indigo too was received well in the PV market. The concept of compact sedan got traction in India after the launch of the first model, the Indigo eCS in 2008.

Tata Indigo eCS

Even though the production has stopped, Tata Motors dealers will continue to sell existing stocks available. The main buyers for the Indica and Indigo currently are the fleet operators and both cars are available only with the 1.4-litre common-rail diesel engine.

"We will continue to serve our extended family of Indica and Indigo customers by providing them with the necessary service support," Tata Motors spokesperson added.

Tata Tiago and Tigor to take the legacy forward

The retirement of Indica and Indigo will see Tata Motors focussing on the new generation hatchback and compact sedan twins, the Tiago and Tigor. Both Tiago and Tigor are based on the new Impact design language of Tata Motors and both cars have already made a significant impact in terms of sales. Tata Motors will promote the Tiago and Tigor among private buyers while the fleet market specialised models will be the Bolt and the Zest.