Tata Indica on Foreign Race Circuit Gives INTENSE 'Make in India' Goals

Tata Indica was the very first passenger hatchback to come out of indigenous carmaker's stable. It was introduced in the country in 1998 to take on the likes of Maruti Zen and Maruti Alto. The funky little hatchback was more spacious than its rivals. The Indica was considered as a mere people carrier or a cheap hatchback for the first time car buyers in the Indian market. Even today, masses will relate to it as a puny taxi. However, we recently came across a set of images on a social media platform that can change the definition of the Indica in our minds. In the pictures, the Tata Indica can be seen racing on a track in South Africa in the Production Class category. Also, it has been modified to perform at its best.

Talking of the modifications, this race-spec Indica features a lot of changes. Underneath the Indica body shell, now sits a space frame chassis which offers increased structural rigidity and a lower centre of gravity. To fit in wider tyres, it also gets a wide body kit. A spoiler has also been fixed on the roof to aid it with increased downforce. This Indica is now wrapped in a race livery. Therefore, it looks much sportier than its regular counterpart.

Also, Tata Motors had prepared an Indica Vista with the same livery for promotional purposes. It gets a set of aftermarket alloy wheels which are wrapped in low-profile tyres. With these pictures, it is evident that Tata Indica has a strong legacy in the international markets. For those who do not know, Tata Motors used to sell the Indica in the UK market under a joint venture with MG Rover Group as City Rover.

Tata Indica was sold in the Indian market until 2015. In its second-gen iteration, it carried the Vista prefix and was offered with a 1.2L petrol, 1.4L petrol, and 1.3L diesel engine. The 1.4L petrol unit was highly appreciated for its 90 PS of peak power output, but it could not do well in the Indian market as it returned a poor fuel efficiency figure of around 7-9 kmpl. The oil burner too belted out 90 PS of peak power output, but it could return anywhere in between 17-19 kmpl.