Just think about the dilemma Tata Engineering found itself in with regard to its Indica hatch and automotive enthusiasts! Here was a car with the right ingredients and a 1405cc engine to boot. But that is where the stuff ended, not because of anything else but due to the company's immediate brief of catering to the 110,000 customers who had put money upfront for the first truly all-Indian automobile. All over the developed world (read that as Europe and Japan) car makers do offer a slightly upscale sporty version of their bread and butter hatchbacks. Sporty could mean either sporty visually or sporty in all facets of its game. It was always a matter of time that we felt a sporty hatch would be offered to Indian car buyers and while Fiat did reveal its limited edition Sachin Tendulkar signature version Palio S10 plus also the more affordable Palio Sport (in 1.2-litre engined guise), homegrown car maker Tata Engineering was not lagging behind in at least showing that it is also on the ball in this regard.

The company did show off a special version of the Indica, finished in dazzling yellow and with the right bitson it to enable it to carry the Sport suffix. And this is a propah hot hatch if we can call it that because not only did it have the de rigeur aero aids on front bumper and side skirts and large size alloy wheels shod with 195/65-R15 tyres, it also had a bit of oomph under the bonnet in the form of the 85bhp petrol version which will debut on the Tata Sedan later this year. Of course the plan is also to offer the same engine for the Indica top-end version which judging from show response should be the Indica Sport. The effort is right on the Indica Sport and the company will have to now work on perfecting the package before it goes on sale.

The subtlety it has displayed on the exterior is superb and in the interior it has again displayed just the right amount of exuberance without going overboard. The sporty steering wheel, colour-coded dashboard and drilled pedals work their magic but leather for the seats can be dispensed with in favour of upscale fabric. Get the handling sharper, power delivery crisper and pricing spot on and the Indica could be the hot hatch of choice for a majority of Indian car buyers.
.....Aspi Bhathena