In 1998, Tata motors, previously known as TELCO had resolved to launch a car that is from India, By India and for India. Indica- Short for Indian car was envisioned as a car that was supposed to be having all the attributes, likeable to the Indian consumer .True to its promise, Indica became a household name since its launch and still remains the largest selling car from the House of TATAs.
The advent of the incredible INDICA..
Little did the Indian consumer realize that there used to be only one segment in the car i.e the Maruti which was surviving for almost 20 years but never provided one true comfort of space. Space in the Maruti 800 till date is always less and it was time that India needed a car that could actually satisy the ravenous nuclear Indian family. A car that had enough space to stretch your legs and that would not burn the pockets of the Indian middle class for the hunger of fuel. India needed a car that was not too big from the outside to traverse the crowded junctions but a car that was comfortable enough to park and that provides luxurious features such as the Air conditioning at a penny’s worth .And the main criterion was also that the engine would have to be a powerful one to accommodate the weight of at least 5 passengers and also still pull the household weight that usually is part of an every outing in the Indian family.
The stakes were high as there was not a car that could deliver all the above features and yet be so stylish enough to beat a maruti 800 on a straight road. And that is when a car was born from the hallowed portals of TATA motors . The car was thus christened, the INDICA.
The SUCCESS STORY CONTINUED..
And so with a powerful 1.499 L Diesel engine that churned out a significant 70 bhp horsepower ,enough to dwarf its smaller rival .The INDICA roared its way to become one of the fastest selling cars in India. Though being a little costlier, the TATA motors capitalized on the Indian market by releasing a horde of Indica TAXIS that came at a cheaper rate. With an astounding mileage of almost 15 kmpl of Diesel, TATA motors had achieved the impossible. The Indica consolidated its market but the initial story of its booking still remains amazing. Within a week of its release in 1999, Indica recorded a jaw dropping 115000 bookings.
The home grown Indica was already there to capture the hearts and believe me I would still swear by the older Indica’s looks than the new indica Vista’s improved version. Nothing could capture the cute effect an Indica had when it passed by although it could never accelerate like a maruti 800.The Indica has a healthy fan following in other such countries as the South Africa and other south asian countries. Till date , the Indica still runs the length and breadth of India. Now the Indica ‘s older model has been phased out as the engine was only Bharat stage II compliant . The New Indica Vista promises to carry on the legacy..
A PERSONAL TRIUMPH of Indian cars.
My parents somehow had the inclination to buy Indian made cars and thus we bought the Indica ,which actually became a big brother of our already well serving Maruti 800. To this date my parents still commend the Indica for its royal legroom and comfortable spacing ,while i drive around in my latest craze , (not an Indian made car).But I must still admit, I do have a soft corner for my Indica in which i use to have fun ripping around during the initial days of the lonely NHAI airport road. (read it as the national highway road that doubles up as an airport road).
