Tata Motors to launch Bolt on January 20th

Post a successful run with the Zest compact sedan, Tata Motors is now set to introduce its second product under the 'Horizonext' banner, the Bolt hatchback on January 20th. The online bookings for the new hatchback commenced quite recently at a booking amount of just INR 11,000.

Though Bolt looks more-or-less like a modern evolution of the company's late 1990s launched Indica hatchback, but is ahead of any Indicas before, be it the most recent- Vista. While getting our hands on it, we felt that it might not be the best product in the segment, but is a product that will put up a strong fight against the already established competition- Maruti Suzuki Swift and Hyundai Grand i10.

The Bolt hatchback gets the Tata Motors' new design language, which first rolled out with the Zest few months back. The hatchback features a revised grille section which merges with the sharp headlamp cluster that houses smoked projector units. In terms of interiors, the Bolt shares plastic bits in the cabin with its elder sibling Zest. But the dual-tone treatment of the compact sedan has now replaced with an all-black look in the hatch, making it less plush.

Propelling the Bolt will be the same engine options as the Zest, concluding into petrol and diesel engine. The petrol variant will get its power from a 1.2-litre Revotron turbocharged Multi-point Fuel Injection (MPFi) mill, good for 90 bhp and peak torque of 140 Nm. While the diesel variant will come equipped with the same Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre unit, rated at 75 bhp and 190 Nm of peak torque. A five-speed manual gearbox will come as standard across all variants, with no AMT, even as an option.