Tata Motor has revealed the name of its upcoming hatchback, codenamed Kite, as Zica on 23 November. The question was the rationale behind the name. While online searches don't provide the proper answer, Tata Motors came up with the explanation to do away with speculation.
A new Facebook post of Tata Motors with a sketch image of Zica was captioned: "Thank you all for the warm welcome. In case you were wondering, Zica comes from ZIppy CAr!" Apparently, the world Zippy denotes the car's speed and liveliness.
Underpinning Indica's X0 platform, Tata Zica is expected to replace Tata's ageing Indica, and in India, the model will sit below Tata Bolt. Earlier, Zica was teased through a promotional video of the company featuring the brand's new face — Argentinean footballer and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi. From the video, it appears the hatchback will get a signature front grille with smoked headlamps and fresh rear-end styling.
Tata Zica's powertrains are expected to include a new 1.05-litre three-cylinder common-rail diesel motor that can churn out 64.1bhp and 140Nm of torque, and an all-new 1.2-litre petrol engine. The transmission duty in Zica is likely to be handled by a five-speed gearbox, and we also hear there could be an AMT variant on offer.
To be unveiled in early December, the hatchback will apparently have a starting price from Rs 3.6 lakh (ex-showroom).
