The sub-four metre cars attract lower excise duty, so the car manufactures can introduce the new product at an attractive price tag. The excise duty of a sub 4-metre vehicle (with small car specific engines) is just 12 percent, compared to 24 percent on longer than 4-metre cars.
By introducing this Tata Manza CS, Tata will be the first company to have two vehicles in the compact sedan segment. Tata's earlier introduction to this sub-four metre segment was the Indigo CS. “The market for sub-four meter length sedan is growing. We are working on a compact car,” said a Tata Motors official.
Engine and features:
It is expected that the Manza CS will be powered by the Vista’s 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engines. The new Manza CS will share most of the parts with its previous mode. The head lights, tail lamps, front grille and doors will be identical to the Manza.
In order to save the excise duty, the car manufacturers were now concentrating on the products within four metre range. Honda has announced launch of its entry-level sedan called Amaze by April 2013. Honda Amaze is a sub-four metre sedan built on the Brio hatchback platform and will be available in both petrol and diesel engines. Mahindra and Mahindra has the plan to launch sub-four metre version of Verito by next month. M&M's sub-four metre sports utility vehicle (SUV), Quanto is already there in the market.
The year 2012 wasn't a good for the Tata motors as they lost quite a bit of market share. The company lost its number three position to Mahindra in the last few months. The company has already announced its plans of launching several new and upgraded vehicle in 2013. Tata Motors is targeting to be the number two player in the Indian car market by 2020.
We expect the Manza Compact Sedan at a starting price of Rs 4.5 lakh to 5 lakh. The Manza CS will compete with Maruti Swift Dzire, Honda's first diesel car Amaze, Mahindra & Mahindra's sub-four metre Verito and a few others.
Best hatchback cars under 8 lakh