IndianAutosBlog brought you live updates from the floor of the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. While we saw launches of many hyper-exotics at Geneva such as P1 and LaFerrari, they weren't as important as this car.
Home-grown automaker Tata Motors presented the facelifted Tata Aria that shared the stage with Tata Safari Storme Mountain Rescue Concept and the Concept S.
The facelifted Aria, the only new production-ready vehicle at the Tata stall, was indeed very intriguing.
Although the exhibit looked the same as the current Aria, we did see revised headlamps with a dark tint and clear-lens tail lamps. The alloy wheel design was new and it sported a dual tone paint job. On the inside, we saw new fabric seats, a climate control system and a new door lock-unlock button.
It was powered by the same 2.2 litre diesel engine that powers the current Aria but this one produced 158 bhp, about 20 bhp more than the current model. There was also a six-speed automatic gearbox on offer.
BSMotoring reports that the facelifted Tata Aria is India-bound this year. The publication predicts that the crossover should hit Indian streets by December 2013.
The Tata Aria was a problem child ever since it was launched in 2010. A confused identity, sky high price tag and a failure on part of the marketing team to promote the product made sure that the Aria never breached 500 units in any month. And that’s pretty disappointing because hands down, it is the best product an Indian manufacturer has delivered in the history of the auto industry.
Hopefully things will change for the better with the facelifted model's introduction.
[Source: BSMotoring.com]
