Next week is going to be very very exciting as two of the most important cars are being launched, on 11th August Hyundai will launch the second generation i20 while the very next day Tata Motors will launch the Zest. Yes, Tata Motors has just announced the launch date of the Zest, which will go on sale on the 12th of August. The Zest is the first new car for Tata Motors is a long long time as the automaker was concentrating too heavily on the Nano. The Zest has high hopes riding on it and is crucial for Tata Motors future in the country.
Most of the things about the Tata Zest are already known, the vehicle has been reviewed extensively while some dope on the variants are also available. Still, it’s really the pricing which will make a key difference to how well the Tata Zest is accepted in the Indian market, as the sub 4-metre compact sedan space is a heated arena with the segment leader Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire facing some stiff rivalry from the Honda Amaze and Hyundai Xcent. While the Zest joins the compact sedan bandwagon this year, next year Ford will launch the Figo compact sedan, the second sub 4-metre compact product (non-hatchback) from the American automaker for our market, the first being the EcoSport.
The Tata Zest is being aggressively promoted prior to launch and the company has managed to create a lot of hype too. The vehicle was being tested across India with a nice camouflage which read “ZEST” all over. A new 1.2-litre Revotron turbocharged petrol engine with three driving modes will power the Zest, along with the tried and tested Quadrajet motor. The petrol mill is being publicised heavily for being the first turbo-petrol unit in the segment and the company has set-up Revotron labs to educate customers about the technology. Both the engine produce 90 PS of power but the diesel has more torque at 200 Nm (the petrol has class leading torque output of 140 Nm).
Tata Motors has loaded the Zest with a plethora of features and the vehicle sees a huge improvement in quality compared to previous Tata cars. The highlight of the Zest is a 5-speed AMT box on the diesel Zest which makes the Manza replacement the cheapest diesel automatic in the country. There were rumours of India’s largest auto maker offering a 6-year warranty on the car but the company said it’s not true, we do hope that Tata surprises us by giving lucrative warranty and service packages on its comeback car.
