Tata eyeing Pininfarina?

The economic downturn is in the process of claiming famed Italian design house and coachbuilder Pininfarina as its latest victim. The automobile design marque is currently owned by parent company Pincar. Pininfarina’s 50.7% stake is up for grabs and Pincar has already hired a bank to help find potential buyers.

According to unconfirmed reports, Pincar is not willing to let go of its complete stake. It is also being reported that the sale of its majority stake in Pininfarina is an outcome of a debt agreement with banks towards the end of 2008.

One name that is currently doing the rounds as a potential buyer is Tata Motors. Pininfarina had earlier designed the Tata Indica and the lately the Prima concept car. Tata Motors which is on a brand acquisition spree, has already bought Jaguar and Land Rover and it is likely that the Italian design marque may also be in its kitty.

Pinninfarina has collaborated with various automobile manufacturers in the designing of cars. Some of its well know creations like the Ferrari California and 599 GTB, Alfa Romeo Spider, Maserati Grantourismo and Quattroporte, which are currently in production.

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.