PUNE: The formal launch of the Indigo, Tata Engineering’s (Telco) C segment offering, on December 18 in Mumbai, is expected to spark off a price war on the lines of the price cut by Maruti on the eve of the launch of the Indica.
Rajiv Dube, vice-president, commercial (passenger car business), Telco, pointed to the price gap between the top end of the B segment, at Rs. 4.2 lakh, and the start of the C segment, at Rs 4 lakh.
This is a gap which presents an opportunity for the domestic car manufacturer. The 1400-cc Indigo, which has three petrol and two diesel variants, has a more powerful engine, the diesel being a turbo-charged one.
While the two diesel and the top two petrol variants have power steering, the base petrol variant has manual steering. Based on the Indica platform, the Indigo is a different car, unlike other competitors, Mr Dube pointed out.
The company has targeted average monthly sales of between 1,000-1,200 cars on a sustainable basis and it will look at offering swaps for any customer looking for an upgrade. Despatches to dealers across the country have begun and the car will be available for sale from December 19.
Telco has invested Rs 350 crore for the Indigo and its Estate version, scheduled for launch next calendar year, over a period of time. The Indigo, which is produced on the same assembly line as the Indica, is expected to be one in every fifth or sixth Indica which rolls out.
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