Tata Motors bets big on Bolt, rolls it out at Rs 4.4 lakh

Tata Motors today launched the much-awaited Bolt hatchback in India with a price-tag starting at Rs 4.44 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the petrol variant and Rs 5.49 lakh for the diesel variant.

This is the company’s second model, after the Zest sedan, from its HorizonNext product plan. The Bolt, which shares most of its styling cues with the Zest, comes built on the X1 platform like the Vista hatchback but has been thoroughly re-engineered. The Bolt is available in four trim levels - XE, XM, XMS and XT.

The petrol-engined Bolt uses the 89bhp 1.2-litre turbocharged Revotron motor first seen in the Zest but this motor has been tuned to make it smoother and more responsive. The diesel engine is the 74bhp 1.3-litre Quadrajet that powers the old Indica Vista and the base-model Zest. Both engines come mated to a five-speed manual gearbox but, unlike the Zest, there is no AMT automatic version, at least at launch.

On the interiors front, the Bolt features the same highly-improved cabin that the Zest introduced. Quality levels are up, while Tata’s traditional strength of great space is retained. Equipment levels are high; the top XT trim gets a Harman touchscreen infotainment system, while the lower trims get a more conventional audio system. The touchscreen gets many class-first features like voice commands, video playback and satellite navigation. There's climate control and powered wing mirrors too. For safety, the Bolt gets dual front airbags and ABS with EBD and CSC (Corner Stability Control).

The Tata Bolt scores highly on space and equipment levels in its top trim levels, which are in the same league as premium hatchbacks like the Hyundai i20, Fiat Punto and Volkswagen Polo. Its pricing, however, is a little bit lower than those cars, which makes it a slightly better value proposition. What remains to be seen, however, is whether this vastly improved and more upmarket hatchback from Tata Motors can receive as good a response as its compact sedan sibling the Zest did. On its part, the company is fully geared up to cater to a younger audience which it is targeting and is also employing quality manpower that will not only sell the cars but will also help strengthen Tata’s brand equity in the passenger vehicle market.

TATA BOLT PRICING (Ex-showroom Delhi)

Petrol
XE - Rs 4.44 lakh
XM - Rs 5.15 lakh
XMS - Rs 5.40 lakh
XT - Rs 6.05 lakh 

Diesel
XE - Rs 5.49 lakh
XM - Rs 6.11 lakh
XMS - Rs 6.34 lakh
XT - Rs 6.99 lakh

Further Reading: 

• Tata Motors’ new retail strategy for Bolt’s success. 
• Interview with Mayank Pareek on Tata Bolt's anticipated success