This uncamouflaged Tata Zest was caught testing near the city of Pune by Power Drift. The variant caught on test is reported to be the mid-level petrol model.
In a segment which saw growth of 27 percent last year, Tata is pinning high hopes on the Zest compact sedan to drive sales. The Indian manufacturer saw its domestic passenger car sales decline by 36 percent last month as compared to the same period in 2013. Sales of the Nano/Indica/Indigo/Vista/Manza range especially took a hit and were down by 37 percent at 5,653 units.
The Zest was revealed prior to the Auto Expo, and is expected to go on sale in the July-September period this year. Tata has announced petrol and diesel variants of the Zest, with the diesel receiving an AMT (automated manual transmission), which will be a first-in-segment feature.
Tata's 1.2-liter turbocharged Revotron petrol engine will be making its debut in the Zest, and with this engine, Tata says it will appeal to a new set of audience, who until now wouldn't have considered buying a Tata petrol car. The Revotron unit outputs 85 PS and 140 Nm of torque, and comes with a 5-speed manual transmission. The diesel motor is Fiat's 1.3-liter Multijet engine outputting 90 PS and 200 Nm of torque.
[Images from Car Wale]
