Spied: Tata Bolt testing in Chennai
The Tata Bolt has been spied way before it was unveiled prior to the Auto Expo 2014. Now avid OVERDRIVE reader Manoj Prabhakar spotted the Bolt with some funky masking near Chennai airport. The Bolt is expected to launch in India during the second half of this year followed by the Zest sedan.
The Bolt is 3.8m long and has a kerb weight of 1080kg. It has a fresh design than what we have seen on other Tata cars though some design elements like the grille for instance hark back to the lineage. The alloy wheels are a new design and the rear is completely different than others from the family. Inside, the Bolt looks ultra cool with a new steering wheel, instrument cluster and advanced infotainment system. Expect class leading space like the Vista.
The petrol engine in the Tata Bolt is a new unit. The Revotron 1.2T is a turbo petrol and makes 85PS/140Nm. It is mated to a new F-Tronic Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) gearbox unit as well. Tata claims that this powertrain will have class leading fuel efficiency and will be fun to drive as well. The diesel in the meanwhile is the tried and tested 1.3l multijet or quadrajet as Tata calls it with 75PS on tap and 190Nm. The diesel will use a conventional manual gearbox. Both the variants use an electronic power steering than the usual hydraulic units that we have seen in Tata cars. The Bolt also gets a new advanced ABS system.
When launched, the Bolt will compete with the Swift, i20 and Jazz. To know more details of the Tata Bolt, click here