Team-BHP - Tata Indiva = Tata Calypso ?

Does anybody remember the Tata Calypso which was developed by Tata Motors (TELCO) way back in 1992. It was based on the 207 platform and was a huge 12-seater van and looked similar to the huge Nissan and Toyota vans which were imported on a large scale in India on a large scale. But this potential best seller never saw the light of day........

Fast forward a few years, and the Tata mini MPV concept called the Indiva based on the Indica platform (and designed by I.De.A, Italy) was featured in the Geneva Motor Show. There were reports that it would be launched in a year's time in Europe as well as in India. I personally felt that it was a good product and was an ideal vehicle to trigger the mini-mpv segment in India after the failure of the Versa. But still I don't see any sign of this vehicle. Why????

The mini-MPV segment has not yet matured enough in India. Given another 3-5 years it should.

Then there's the image factor. A mini-MPV would make a favorite taxi. I don't think any manufacturer likes his newly launched vehicle to be a sell-out in the taxi segment before the personal segment takes off.

Its a pity that the Calypso did not see the light of day. Even with Indica levels of refinement, this van could have given Tata the first-mover advantage in the people-movers market.

Have a look at V12s excellent topic on Cars that didnt make it

Maybe it wont even come out based on the X2 platform, and with a range of Tata's new diesel engines. But I am not sure how a people carrier (van like) might co-exist with a SUV with similar seating capacity.
A loaded people mover like Innova at about 6 Lakhs would be a killer.