[bansal1987]

Managed to spot a Kite parked outside a eatery joint in Pimple Saudagar(Pune) today. The car had the usual camouflaging and was shod with GoodYear tyres. The size seemed to be 175/65 R14. It was sans alloy wheels/ wheel cover.

The car looks to be a combination of Grand i10 from the rear and somewhat sporty front ala Ford Aspire. Tata Kite is a wee bit lesser in size than the Grand i10.

I also managed to have a very good peek inside the interiors. The car is almost ready it seems. Although the windows were rolled up but one could make out an extremely well finished quality interior. Space also felt to be good in the rear which being a typical Tata plus. Special mention to the speedometer binnacle which seems to be just like the Ford Ecosport/Fiesta type(I mean the gauges are encased in plastic cladding, just like Ecosport/Fiesta, hope you can get what i mean) and it is fantastic for a car which is being seen as a competitor to cars like Celerio etc. They don't even stand a chance when the interiors are considered. The music system felt like one on lower variants on Tata zest(one without the touch screen).

Cost cutting was not evident anywhere, and the profile is very balanced. This one does not has any hints of Vista/Indica in it and looks fresh. Managed to quick 2 pictures however the one of the interior does not manage to show much.

[aditya79india]

Was going through the TMETC website. In the product engineering capabilities section, found the following image :



WHile the middle pic is the CGI of Nanao 2 Cylinder engine and the extreme right of the associated valvetrain (both being in production), the first image is quite intriguing. It is very much a CGI of a dual clutch automatic in transverse FWD layout configuration. Could TML be secretly working on a DSG/DCT gearbox at TMETC? Can anyone check and confirm?

[rahul412]

Heres a video. My friend (Rakesh) caught this on tape at NH8.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oau6lURZk4

[Aditya]

Here are images of the Tata Kite with Narain Karthikeyan at the wheel.









Link to Team-BHP News Article

Source: Carwale

[sachinayak]

Takeaways
- New alloy wheel design
- Testing / Benchmarking against a Celerio and Grand i10 (or am i just assuming things).

[Thebat]

The Kite does look fantastic having shed the egg like design of it's predecessors. It appeals to my eye and looks quite modern. Hope TMl hits the bulls eyes with this one and doesn't continue its downward spiral, then maybe I can convince myself to buy the vfm Zest instead of considering other vilayati options

[vinair]

Originally Posted by Source: [URL="http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/140961-tata-kite-hatchback-includes-scoop-pictures-12.htmlwww.carwale.com/news/19588-india-exclusive-narain-karthikeyan-spotted-testing-tata-kite-hatchback.html"

Carwale[/url]

Now that's a super scoop! Narain in a test mule, looks like TATA is going all guns with this little one!! That's some serious effort from TATA!

[Dr.Suraj]

So I guess now we know whom to thank for all those reports that said 'The Zest / Bolt handles like no Tata ever before'.

Good move. Good move indeed !

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

Takeaways
- New alloy wheel design
- Testing / Benchmarking against a Celerio and Grand i10 (or am i just assuming things).

Love the new alloy wheel design, and the car is turning out looking quite good!

The Zest rides and handles really well; a very good compromise between the two, almost Fiat-like. Tata really should benchmark the Kite against the Zest rather than the Grand i10, which really doesn't ride very well at all.

I'm not sure what criteria NK has for a vehicle designed for personal use, because F1 cars don't have much of a suspension at all. They ride so low that they can only allow very little travel. That said, his input on handling would be (has been?) invaluable.

[1100D]

Getting Narain Karthikeyan to provide his feedback is definitely positive, but the comparison is being made against which cars, the Celerio and the Grand i10, none accomplished handlers by any stretch of imagination. It would have been proper if Narain was given something from Fiat/Ford stable, even the Swift would have been better. However, those are from a segment above and Tata might not be interested to exceed the expectations beyond the target category of vehicles (which was its USP earlier).

[condor]

1100D : It would have been proper if Narain was given something from Fiat/Ford stable, even the Swift would have been better.

for Narain's experience in driving, I dont think he really needs to use a Fiat / Ford to do a benchmarking. That kind of benchmarking is for us regular guys.

[damager21]

More spied images of Kite hatchback. Hope this brings some glory back for Tata.

The chassis has no resemblance to Indica so this will be a real test for Tata. We will have to see if consumers don't want to buy some of the existing products because they resemble Indica which is known as a taxi car. Or is it a case that consumers do not see value in Tata as a brand when it comes to car.

If it is the former, then this car is bound to see huge success. If it is the later then the problem is with brand itself which will take years of hard work to build.

The Kite will have an integrated music system at least on the top-of-the-line, steering mounted audio controls, power windows, electrically adjustable ORVMs and mostly even voice commands. The Kite twins will be strictly sold only in the private market while the Indica and Indigo eCS will be continued to be sold in private and commercial market.

The Kite will be powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine and 1.05-litre diesel engine. These engines will be used for the first time and will be powerful and fuel-efficient. The pricing of the duo will be between INR 4.5-7.25 lakhs (on-road). The Kite twins will be launched this year around the festive season.

Source: Motoroctane

[Leoshashi]

Finally TATA seems to have shed their favourite egg-shell chassis and the Christmas style long tail lights.

I have a feeling that KITE project will finally give TATA the volumes which they need in this segment. Getting it evaluated by Narain means the ride and handling compromise should be balanced, if not sporty.

Looks balanced and sporty in design, if all the niggles are sorted out, this is one TATA which finally people won't think twice to buy.

Regards

[RavenAvi]

Fresh spyshots by the ICB team reveals a Harman touchscreen infotainment system inside the Kite as well!

IndianCarsBikes

[drhoneycake]

Finally a TATA that doesn't look anything like the Indica.

I really hope this car does well, brings in volumes for them and turns around the fortunes for TATA.

The car looks great, proportionate and looks to be loaded with features.

Could make a great replacement for my dad's alto. After a horrible experience with TATA earlier, I'm ready to give them another chance and pick up this car.

Tata, get this out soon. Can't wait to drive the petrol automatic (if it's in the pipeline)


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