New Indica Vista Ignis variant with 1.4 petrol engine

Expected Launch: September 2009
Expected Price: 4.5 to 5.5 lakhs (On-Road)
The Indica Vista hasn't done as well as expected in the market thanks largely to customers not having faith in the Tata brand. So Tata has decided to give the Vista a new lease of life by plonking in Fiat's 1.4 litre petrol power-plant from the Grande Punto. The Vista currently comes with a 1.2 litre engine variant which is a tad underpowered for the car. It was introduced just to keep the car inside government's skewed excise cut parameters for cars with petrol engines smaller than 1.2 litres. The Ignis will be the only Indica variant which wont be eligible for the excise cut driving up its price.

The 1.4 litre engine is good for 90 bhp and 115 Nm of toque. Expect the price to slightly undercut the Swift petrol by 10-20,000 rupees. At that price the Vista will be a sensible alternative to the Swift thanks to better (much better) space and practicality, drivability and value. The engine being a Fiat unit, it will also be as reliable. The top-of the range Aura variant is loaded to gill with a 2-DIN stereo with bluetooth connectivity, steering mounted controls, electronically adjustable mirrors, chunky 175 section 14 inch tyres and last but not the least ABS and 2 airbags.

Dr. Vijay Mally strikes deal with Mclaren...

Force India ended their partnership with Ferrari as the 2008 season came to an end. Though Ferrari gave them great support throughout the season, Force India decided to look elsewhere in the pitlane for technology under the hood for 2009. And while doing so, it seems they have decided to enter the Mclaren backyard for the 2009 VJM02! 

The deal includes a supply of gearboxes, hydraulic systems and the KERS, apart from the basic engine. The deal will also give Force India an access to Mclaren's other vendors for rest of the components if needed. This would be the first time in the history of Mclaren that the company will support a satellite team with their technology. Talking to the media, team boss Vijay Mallya said, "We are absolutely delighted to be able to announce a technical partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, and also our plan to expand the composite manufacturing capability and drawing office within our Silverstone facility."