India Today Year Ahead [Automobiles]

January 5, 1998

YEAR AHEAD: AUTOMOBILES
The Year of the Small Cars

The 1997 invasion of the Cielos, Opels and fords left India cold. Excellently engineered cars all, but unaffordable to the middle class. That will change in 1998. The zippy beer can called the Maruti 800 will finally have competition. A flood of small cars -- and more of their bigger cousins -- is on the way.

DAEWOO D'ARTS
A smaller cousin for the Cielo
Engine capacity: 800 cc
Maximum power: 52 bhp
Price: Rs 3 lakh approx.
Launch date: early 1998

Daewoo's smallest and latest entrant in the world-wide small car sweepstakes has yet to acquire a proper name. Launched at an international auto show this year, the Indian version is expected to go through some changes: its Avant Garde styling is likely to be made a trifle more conventional and the engine might not be as powerful as its versions in foreign markets. Daewoo intends to slot the car between the Zen and the Maruti 800, say automobile industry experts.

HYUNDAI ATOS
A new South Korean challenger
Engine capacity: 999 cc
Maximum power: 55 bhp
Price: Rs 3 lakh approx.
Launch date: late 1998

Another South Korean Chaebol powers into India. And unlike its compatriot and competitor, Daewoo -- which produced more Cielos than Indians wanted to buy -- Hyundai intends to start off with a modified version of the Atos, a smart, spacious small car. The Atos is a big 21 cm taller than the Zen. The new car is presently undergoing road tests in southern India and will be produced at a brand new plant coming up near Chennai. Unveiling is slated for the Auto Expo in Delhi in January.

TATA INDICA
A secret awaits unveiling
Engine capacity: 1,400 cc
Maximum power: 45 bhp
Price: Rs 2.5 lakh approx.
Launch date: early 1998

Never has such secrecy shrouded the launch of an Indian automobile. No photographs are available of TELCO's gamble to slam the Maruti 800 head on. Cameras are strictly prohibited at TELCO's testing facilities in Pune, where prototypes of the Zen-like car have been undergoing continuous testing and modification. Reports say the car -- styled in Italy; its engine an extensive modification of an existing Tata small truck power plant -- is the size of the Zen but larger on the inside. It will be launched in both petrol and diesel versions. The big question: will Tata be able to ensure world-class quality? It needs to; both Hyundai and Daewoo are up with world standards.

KINETIC SMALL CAR
Life in the slow, slow lane
Engine capacity: 480 cc
Maximum power: 16 bhp
Price: Rs 1.25 lakh approx.
Launch date: early 1998

The joker in the pack. It's really, really cheap. But then don't expect anything more than a sophisticated autorickshaw. The body is based on a French micro car called the Aixam and made of what you could loosely call sophisticated plastic. Too basic to be called a real car, it is an alternative to a two-wheeler. The car struggles to reach its top speed of 65 KMPH. All in all, abandon any hopes of cruising the highways with the Kinetic. Surprisingly, it might also run into a pricing problem. As second-hand car prices crash, you might get a relatively new Maruti 800 for the same price.