The new Indigo CS carries forward the cabin seating comfort and space package that is associated with the Indigo range.
The Indigo CS is available in two trim levels for both engine variants —
The Government, in consultation with the automobile industry, had stipulated size limitations for the overall length and engine class of passenger cars that would be eligible for the lower excise duty of 16 per cent.
Accordingly, cars whose overall length was lower than 4,000mm and which had petrol engines smaller than 1.2 litres or diesel engines smaller than 1.5 litres, are automatically eligible for the lower excise duty. If the original purpose for coming up with a size stipulation was to ensure that more compact and fuel efficient cars get a leg up over bigger sedans and SUVs that are potentially less fuel-efficient and more polluting, then that plan may get diluted a bit with the line of new compact sedans that are due out in the market, which will also meet these norms.
Law and benefits
But, as far as the companies that are making the compact sedans, another way of looking at it is of course, that if these cars sport the same engines as their smaller hatches and can potentially be almost as fuel-efficient, then why not be allowed the benefit of the lower excise duty.
A smaller sedan, which is potentially lighter too, would be better than its larger counterpart.
So, even as the automotive industry and the Government are pondering over whether this size stipulation needs to be revised downwards to about 3,800mm, companies are working towards the launch of compact sedans that will meet the current 4,000mm norm.
Re-sculpted and set to fit
The first off the block was Tata Motors, which unveiled the Indigo CS at the Auto Expo last month and has since rolled it out nationwide.
Tata Motors’ plans for a compact version of the Indigo had been doing the rounds of the rumour mills in the market. The regular sized Indigo sports an overall length of 4,150mm, but with short overhangs and very tightly designed bumpers. So, the car’s boot had to be shortened to get the most gain in terms of length reduction.
Some alteration has also been made to the bumpers to enable the car meet the size norms.
The new Indigo CS, as a result, has an overall length of 3,988mm only. The other dimensions remain the same, including the width of 1,620mm and height of 1,540mm. Modifications have been made to some of the exterior features of the Indigo CS in order to distinguish the new compact sedan with its full-sized and extra-long wheelbase predecessors.
Accordingly, the new CS sports a different dual slat chrome bonnet grille. While the headlamp design has only undergone a minor change, the rear tail-lamp combination is completely new and more befitting of the shortened boot’s character.
Some changes to the interiors have also been made. The petrol variants will have beige interior theme, while the diesel variants will have black interiors. The Indigo CS is available in two trim levels for both engine variants – a basic air-conditioned model and an AC power steering version.
In addition, some of the premium features that this new entry-level sedan model will feature include a new AC facia and digital clock, anti-glare rear view mirror, light intensity adjustment for the instrument cluster and a new roof and map reading lamp. The new Indigo CS is offered with the same basic configuration for the petrol and diesel engines that is also used in the other Indigos, though the mills have been retuned. The 1,396cc MPFI petrol engine develops a peak power of 65PS at 5,200 rpm and a maximum torque of 105 Nm at 2,600 rpm. The 1,405cc turbocharged diesel engine with intercooler, on the other hand, produces a similar peak power of 70PS at 4,500 rpm and a peak torque of 135Nm at 2,500 rpm, similar to the regular Indigo’s engine.
The new Indigo CS carries forward the cabin seating comfort and space package, which is now closely associated with the Indigo range and also offers a spacious 400 litre boot.
Tata Motors says that clever and efficient design has made it possible to encapsulate the entire package within the four-metre length, making this car a complete package to address the combined demands of space and manoeuvrability in congested city usage conditions.
Different experiences
It is interesting how there were two sets of manufacturers that were working towards the same size norm with very different cars and very different objectives in mind.
Even as Tata Motors and possibly Maruti and Ford were working towards developing sedans, new or reworked, that would meet the size norms, other manufacturers like Skoda and Honda have been working towards compacting their hatches to meet this stipulation.
The Skoda Fabia and the Honda Jazz were international car models that came under the scalpel for enabling them to meet the size norms, and the consequent lower excise duty also made it viable for them to be manufactured and priced affordably in India.
Now that the Tata Indigo CS is here, we are sure others will follow suit.
The Maruti Esteem with an overall length of 4,095mm is closest to the size limit and the Ford Ikon too is just a wee bit away at 4,140mm.
While the future of the Esteem is uncertain in any new form, the Suzuki Swift sedan that Maruti is planning to launch by early March could well turnout to be a compact three-box that is similarly sized just below the threshold 4,000mm and Ford may also want to rework and redesign the Ikon with this new trend in mind.
The Indigo CS could well be the first of many new sedans that together form a whole new sub-segment.
