The 2012 Auto Expo was surely a magnificent display of automobiles. For 5 consecutive days, the Indian public got a chance to see the future of the Indian auto industry. Amid all that glitz and glamour surrounding the cars, motorcycles and other modes of transport, manufacturers also demonstrated some future technologies which could be making way into the Indian auto market sometime in the near future. One such technology demonstrated was by Tata Motors. The company showcased the Indigo Manza Hybrid Concept at the Tata Pavilion. The Indigo Manza Hybrid is a multi hybrid, meaning it can act both as a series and a parallel hybrid as well. The car houses 2 power generation units, a 45 kW electric traction motor and a 1.05 litre Dicor engine. What caught our attention and made our minds work is the Dicor engine that Tata has showcased here.
Hybrids may not be a very viable option as of now in the Indian market due to the high ownership costs it incurs but the 1.05 litre Dicor engine surely has some potential in the current market. Every auto manufacturer, in order to cut on the greenhouse gas emissions is taking the route of engine downsizing and Tata could adopt this strategy too. Other companies like Mahindra are also adopting the same route. Mahindra is in the process of developing a 3-cylinder diesel engine. Though much details about the engine has not been revealed we are sure it is going to power any small car that maindra rolls out. The Tata 1.05-litre Dicor engine surely can be plonked to their small car, the Nano. Tata is working on a diesel version of the Nano and we speculate the 1.05 Dicor engine can make way into its engine compartment. The addition of the Dicor engine to it will definitely add some peppiness to the vehicle which it currently lacks while offering great fuel efficiency figure at the same time.
