Tata Engineering signaled its impending entry into the mid-size segment with the naming of the indigenously developed Tata Indigo, India’s first sedan.

The car derives its name from the words ‘India’ and ‘go’, as it symbolises a nation on the move and is aimed at Indians on the go wanting to make a purposeful statement. Legend has it that the country derived its name from the Indigo dye that brought international traders to its shores, and it is only befitting that a car developed by Indian engineers shares a common heritage in its name.

Tata Indigo will be targeted at people who exude energy, enthusiasm, ambition and the desire to succeed and are raring to go, undaunted by new challenges. The car will be yet another expression of the new-found confidence and energy of a resurgent nation.

Tata Indigo is designed to be the most spacious and comfortable sedan in its segment with class leading ride and handling characteristics. Powered by a 85 bhp petrol and a 62 bhp turbo-diesel engine, the car will be launched with 14-inch wheels and a first-in-class independent three link and strut type rear suspension with anti-roll bar seen only in more premium segment cars. It has 500 litres of trunk space and 42 litres of fuel tank capacity, more than adequate for long outstation drives with the family. As always, Tata Engineering is planning to re-define norms and set new standards in the mid-size segment.

Initial prototypes of the sedan are already under batch production and advanced testing at the company’s own state-of-the-art test facilities at Pune. In addition, the sedan has undergone extensive and rigorous tests at the internationally reputed test facilities of MIRA, UK, to ensure its development as a world-class product.

Tata Indigo is on schedule to be launched in the last quarter of the calendar year 2002.

Having acquired and sustained the leadership position in the compact segment for nearly a year now with the Indica, Tata Engineering is confident of the Indigo’s success as India’s first indigenously developed, world-class sedan.