[hybridpetrol]

We did all praising about the car prior to and after Zest launch, didn't we? In fact, at the time of launch BHPians voted it as the best compact sedan! Did the car sell enough to turn the fortunes of Tata? No! Till now it is the least sold compact sedan, probably only outselling the veritas vibe!
We have a number of reasons why the general public won't buy a Tata (Including many BHPians). The point I am trying to make is, the same reasons are applicable for Zica as well.
Tata doesn't hold even the brand value of Renault to launch a successful mass market hatchback. I would be surprised if Tata manages to sell this car more than 4k units even in the first months. Gone are the days when customers paid in full and booked Indicas. Tata no longer gets such response in passenger car market.

[swiftnfurious]

Off-topic:

Originally Posted by da_lowrider

...Talking of engines, the petrol is supposedly rated at 84bhp (as per autocar), I'm wondering what would the 4 cylinder 1.6 version of this engine make 105-110 bhp?

I am sure it's technically achievable, but don't think the manufacturers will ever push to that extent on a production model. Did we not see a Vista/Bolt (concept) which was rated at a 160 bhp or so?

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

The Tata Zica, fully unmasked.

Looks quite impressive from all angles. A distinct Hyundai-ish stance. Hard to believe it's come out from the Tata design stable.

Originally Posted by volkman10

And now the interiors - gets the dual tone Beige and black interiors

/

Wow!! A very good looking design from Tata with the right proportions. The interior color scheme and look of the plastics impress as well. The rear taillamps and the hatch would have been styled a bit more but they do not look out of place in the current design in any way. The nose of the car has a slight shark nose tilt but not as extreme as the Ford Aspire which is a good thing.

Now Tata dealerships have no reason to complain about the products reaching them from Tata's NexGen platforms.

Drive on,
shibu.

[da_lowrider]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Off-topic:



I am sure it's technically achievable, but don't think the manufacturers will ever push to that extent on a production model. Did we not see a Vista/Bolt (concept) which was rated at a 160 bhp or so?

Why not? I think you misunderstood me, the new revotron is a 1.2l 3 cyl engine, so ideally its 4cyl version would be a 1.6, wouldn't the additional cylinder & 400 cc account for a 20-25bhp increment?

The ideal application for such a motor would be the upcoming Nexon based suv.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by da_lowrider

Why not? I think you misunderstood me, the new revotron is a 1.2l 3 cyl engine, so ideally its 4cyl version would be a 1.6, wouldn't the additional cylinder & 400 cc account for a 20-25bhp increment? ...

Yes, it's possible. The easiest examples will be the 1.6L motor on the Palio (100 bhp), Polo 1.6 (103?), Fiesta 1.6 (101 bhp) etc. All of them 4 cylinders.

[AtheK]

Tata needs Complete rebranding, good products are now dime to dozen by all manufacturers, past will always be along. The tata indicated made the most money for the brand probably and totally killed the brand in passenger car segment. Rename your passenger cars busimess altogether, create a proper and visible divide between your passenger cars and cabs.

Even if tata had launched baleno under there name it would have done half the numbers it does today. Zica should sell well but ya as many pointed nothing out of the world.

[saion666]

The zica looks good, nothing extraordinary but good.

Whats Tata needs is something extraordinary (like elite i20) to bring back customers. Even the zest and Nano looks good in their segments but they don't sell.

The alloys of the zica could have been better.Lets wait and watch for the engines.

[keeprevving]

Here are few more images that suggest the design is quite good. Mote that the base model comes with some features that were previously unheard of in a base model:

1. Fog lamps
2. Rear wash and wipe
3. Rear fog lamps...etc.







Source: Encartor-Tanay / Facebook

[rdhawan15]

Originally Posted by saion666

The zica looks good, nothing extraordinary but good.

Whats Tata needs is something extraordinary (like elite i20) to bring back customers. Even the zest and Nano looks good in their segments but they don't sell.

The alloys of the zica could have been better.Lets wait and watch for the engines.

Pricing will be the KEY. If Tata prices Zica aggressively, there would be many takers for it. They are moving ahead nicely with the Zica launch for now. It remains to be seen if they get overboard and price Zica out of a 'competitive edge' range.

I personally hope that Tata Motors does well. It's an Indian company and am sure they have learnt their lessons well in the past few years.

[petrol_power]

The way Renault designed KWID, is a revolutionary one considering the segment which it is competing. But Zica has just very normal looks, (may be not ugly, but no new models getting launched are ugly, and infact companies are pulling off really good designs).

This is just a normal hatch without any exceptional or eye catching design. Just another car on the road.

Why can't Tata introduce atleast one model which has the ability to make everyone turn back for a second glance. Bolt, zest, new Indica, Indigo, new Safari (was good looking a decade ago) , none of the Tata cars have that special edge in aesthetics department.

That too after having a history of creating the most beautiful cars once upon a time (Sierra, Estate, Old Safari, Old Indica). They were all revolutionary designs at that time frame.

They have really lost the sense of aesthetics now a days.

[MunnabhaiMBBS]

IMHO, I do not see this car changing TaMo's fortunes. First of all I do not understand why TaMo designers are afraid to change the face shape (Rectangular, hexagonal to name a few). Secondly, TaMo has played very safe in terms of side profile (read baby zest/Brio, Amaze) and rear profile (read i10, Figo). Zica looks so unexciting from rear and those black spoiler inserts look like support stands holding the spoiler. It definitely looks like an afterthought addition.

After Zest and especially Bolt debacle, I was expecting something radical in terms of designing. Swift, Kwid are the best examples of disruptive innovation. Highly regarded and popular Honda City looks so puny and outdated in front of Kwid. That is the power of disruptive innovation.

Apple Inc would not have been successful had it followed Microsoft and others. So stop taking inspiration from other manufacturers while designing a vehicle. TaMo must understand that buyers are tired of Indica's face design. C'mon TaMo, you guys have the core competencies, work little harder on designing, marketing and after sales service.

[abhik897]

I feel the car looks refreshingly dissimilar to any of earlier tata cars which is a very very big positive. The key to its fortune will be pricing. Whenever tata has gone overboard on pricing (aria , bolt etc ) they have always been absolute duds. As per initial discussions on this forum , tata was to position this kite and it's sedan a segment below the bolt / zest. If that were to come true we can expect Celerio / grand i10/ wagon R types pricing or thereabouts which I guess will be the sweet spot for thus car

[Ferruccio]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Off-topic:
I am sure it's technically achievable, but don't think the manufacturers will ever push to that extent on a production model. Did we not see a Vista/Bolt (concept) which was rated at a 160 bhp or so?

100+ bhp in a 'kitna deti hai' world? Looking at the dismal numbers of the Polo GT and Abarth Punto, the bean counters would stifle the Product Managers even before the business case made it to the Board Room. Unless the senior-most honcho is a Petrolhead too, such projects do not make it past the wet dreams of the Product guys.

Sadly these days with the exception of a few companies, the bean counters rule the roost with their grey, badly cut polyester suits and indifferently died grey hair! They're all so devoid of feeling that you could stick knives into them but they won't bleed or yell!!

Originally Posted by petrol_power

Why can't Tata introduce atleast one model which has the ability to make everyone turn back for a second glance. Bolt, zest, new Indica, Indigo, new Safari (was good looking a decade ago) , none of the Tata cars have that special edge in aesthetics department.

That too after having a history of creating the most beautiful cars once upon a time (Sierra, Estate, Old Safari, Old Indica). They were all revolutionary designs at that time frame.

They have really lost the sense of aesthetics now a days.

I beg to differ. You loved the Sierra, Estate, Old Safari, Old Indica because there were very few good looking cars 25 years ago. Now you are spoilt for choice and India is one of the most competitive markets for cars. The Sierra, Estate and Sumo were 'inspired' by the Mercedes Benz cars of the time because the erstwhile Telco seniors were in awe of their then partner Mercedes.

Though design is very subjective, Tata styling is certainly more mature than other Indian brands and certainly more evolved than the best-selling models in all the segments they're present in. Also, below the Rs. 7-8 Lakh price point styling does not seem to have a bearing on sales success - Alto, Celerio Vs Eon, WagonR Vs i10

Also, if you see the forthcoming models and design studies like the Pixel, MegaPixel and Nexon which point to future design direction, the lines are bolder, more confident and distinctive.

Would love to hear more from the Gurus on the topic.

[petrol_power]

Originally Posted by Ferruccio

I beg to differ. You loved the Sierra, Estate, Old Safari, Old Indica because there were very few good looking cars 25 years ago. Now you are spoilt for choice and India is one of the most competitive markets for cars. The Sierra, Estate and Sumo were 'inspired' by the Mercedes Benz cars of the time because the erstwhile Telco seniors were in awe of their then partner Mercedes.

Though design is very subjective, Tata styling is certainly more mature than other Indian brands and certainly more evolved than the best-selling models in all the segments they're present in. Also, below the Rs. 7-8 Lakh price point styling does not seem to have a bearing on sales success - Alto, Celerio Vs Eon, WagonR Vs i10

Also, if you see the forthcoming models and design studies like the Pixel, MegaPixel and Nexon which point to future design direction, the lines are bolder, more confident and distinctive.

Would love to hear more from the Gurus on the topic.

Saying that in 80's, no. of artists were less and hence they were able to make better music is a lame excuse. In this age of zillions of songs also, there are definitely good music coming in between. It's not about the time frame but the talent.

So is the case with cars. There are good designs coming in between. Infact poor designs have become a rarity like datsun go plus, xylo, etc. If Tata had inspiration from Mercedes at that time, they should have been having more inspiration from Landrover for their SUVs and Jaguars for their sedans now, but it is not at all reflecting.

If you say Polo styling is mature, makes sense. But saying Tata styling is mature is similar to that of Ambassador in 2015. Instead of ageing gracefully, it will die off nicely in this era.

And yes, below 6 lacs, styling had very least impact, but may be times are changing after seeing the number of bookings of Kwid (by the manufacturer who has almost negligible service support when comparing to the Hyundais and Marutis operating in that segment). Gone are the days when people were happy with just a few things being offered, now they need the best of everything. Clear eg. is Audi overtaking BMW and Merc and how Merc is evolving with a blend of performance, style and comfort.

And this change will come down the lane to lower priced models also and I feel the change has started. All the new cars launched recently and got successful like I20 elite, Jazz, Creta, etc had a good design to back up.

[GLAD73]

The Zica is a good looking car and looks like a decent competitor to the Celerio and Grand i10. How well it does will depend on the initial quality, as well as the pricing. Hope Tata prices it at Wagon r levels with superior kit to give sales an initial boost. At the same time they will have to work rapidly at improving dealer service to render a pleasant ownership experience. After the disappointing reception the Zest and Bolt have received I hope the Zica is a smashing success.