2003 Tata Indiva Information and History

It was at the Geneva Motor Show once again that Tata Engineering chairman Ratan Tata pulled the wraps off a smart new concept, the Indiva, to an eager global press.

Penned by the Italian design and prototyping house, I.D.E.A. the Indiva is a multi purpose vehicle (MPV) concept based on the versatile Indica platform. Right from the initial stages of Project Mint, it was always known that there would be several body styles based on Tata's passenger car platform. While it is only the hatchback that has reached production, the three-box sedan was unveiled at the Auto Expo in January and is slatted to be on Indian roads by the latter half of this year. Other variants include an Estate, which would be ready for launch early next year, and this, the monobox.

The Indiva is clearly a part of Tata's export thrust to Europe, which includes the Telcoline double-cab/pick-up, the Safari and now, the Indica. Compact MPVs like these have been the rage in Europe for some time now, thanks to the interior space on offer, the versatile seating and luggage arrangements, and the driving sensation of a passenger car rather than a van. The Indiva promises all of this, and has some more features that make it stand out. For instance, it gets a permanent sunroof. LED lighting inside, and is less than 4.3 metres long, thereby aiding manoeuvrability. It will also come loaded with various goodies like a navigation system, Internet connection, passenger DVD entertainment, an immobiliser, and of course, the whole gamut of active and passive safety features. This seven-seater MPV gets two seats at the front, three in the middle, and two at the rearm, which can be folded to create luggage space. For the moment, the Indiva has been envisaged with only two engine options, a pertol unit and a turbocharged intercooled diesel.

The designers at I.D.E.A. have given the Indiva plenty of glazed area, including the permanent sunroof, to give an airy and spacious ambience, but this is achieved even with a high waistline. And, like the famous BMWC pillar kink, the Indica's rear window/waistline treatment comes back on the Indiva. The flared wheel arches imparts a feeling of stability. Instead of door handles that can mar the lines of the MPV concept, you get electrically powered push buttons. The front end gets the smiling Tata corporate grille, but set high and flanked by advanced Hella Bixenon headlamps. At the rear, there are four radically placed tail-lamps using I.E.D. technology, and a wide, functional, hatch door.

Inside, the dashboard is kept simple, with a ‘techno centre' in the middle which incorporates the navigator, AC controls, CD player and instrumentation, while the steering wheel is stylised like the Tata logo. The door handles have been integrated into the armrests to create further storage space.

The Indiva concept will take at least three to four years to reach a production ready stage, by which time the Indian market will be ready to accept the concept of such compact MPV's in larger numbers. Can't wait Tata it looks good to us.

Source - The Motoring (Monthly) - April, 2002

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