Team-BHP scoop: Tata Manza CS ready for on-road testing

The compact sedan segment is booming in India, what with over 20,000 examples of the Maruti Dzire, Honda Amaze and the Tata Indigo eCS reaching dealership yards each month. Tata Motors, the car maker that spawned this segment with the Indigo eCS, is set to make another splash in this big volume space of the Indian car market in the next few months. The base of the new Tata compact sedan will be the Indigo Manza, a spacious and feature filled family sedan. 

Note: Tata Indigo Manza image used in this report is illustrative in nature.  

Rumours of Tata Motors working on a compact sedan version based on the Indigo Manza have been doing the rounds for a couple of years now. Team-BHP can now confirm that the first prototypes of the Tata Manza CS are ready to hit the testing circuit in and around Tata Motors' Pimpri factory, off Pune. According to the few details that Team-BHP's sources have revealed about the car, the Tata Manza CS' styling will be inspired by the 2014 Indica Vista facelift. 

The front end of the car will be more sharply styled, a departure from the smiley design that the current crop of Tata cars, barring say the Safari Storme feature. The boot is a stubby unit, similar to the one of the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire and the Honda Brio Amaze compact sedans. The sub-4 meter Manza CS' rear end is said to closely resemble that of the Honda Amaze, a car against which the latest compact sedan will be benchmarked. Also, the short boot is said to give the Manza a stubby, notchback-like rear end. 

With on-road testing slated to start shortly, the Manza CS could hit Indian roads next year. It remains to be seen whether Tata Motors will unveil this product at the upcoming 2014 Indian Auto Expo. The positioning of the Tata Manza CS will be distinct of the Indigo eCS in that the Manza-based compact sedan will sit higher in Tata Motors' line up, sandwiched between the Indigo eCS and the full-size Manza sedan. Expect Tata Motors to price the Manza CS by about 40,000-50,000 rupees lesser than the full-sized Manza sedan. 

Engines are likely to be borrowed from the current Vista and Manza range. The focus for the Manza CS is said to be on diesel power, with the 1.3 liter Fiat Multijet turbo diesel engine likely to be the main motor on offer. Tata Motors does have the 1.2 liter XETA petrol engine that it uses on the likes of the Tata Indica Vista and the Indigo eCS, that could be used on the the Manza CS too. Watch this space for spyshots and renders of Tata Motors' latest, under-development new car.