New Indica Vista in Mumbai on Saturday. (Fotocorp)

Mumbai, Aug. 23: Ring out the old, ring in the new.

Tata Motors has given its best-selling passenger car — the Indica — another makeover.

The company has decided to rationalise the Indica portfolio by phasing out six variants even as it prepares to introduce new models to crank up its market share, which now hovers around 14 per cent.

Rajiv Dube, Tata Motors president (passenger cars), today took the wraps off the new generation Indica Vista. The car is being launched in seven variants, ranging from Rs 3.49 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the 1.2 litre petrol Safire to the Rs 4.88-lakh top-end 1.3-litre Quadrajet.

Indica, the first indigenous passenger car, was launched in 1998. Since then around 9.1 lakh Indicas have been produced. The Indica achieved its highest sales of 144,690 units in 2006-07 and ended 2007-08 as the second largest selling model in the industry despite its product maturity.

At a time when passenger car manufacturers have been passing through challenging times because of high interest rates, Tata Motors saw its overall sales decline because of new models being introduced by its competitors.

Last fiscal, Indica sales at 1,35,642 units declined marginally over the previous year.

Dube said the process of rationalisation would ensure that there are no overlapping price points.

He said the Indica Vista had been given a complete makeover though it has carried three crucial attributes of the existing model — fuel efficiency, comfort and large space.

Apart from a large interior space, Tata Motors said the height adjustable driver’s seat and the tilt-adjustable steering wheel enabled better driving posture. The utility space in the floor console under the seat and the deep glove box can accommodate even a laptop.

The car is powered by internationally acclaimed powertrains — the 75bhp 1.3-litre Quadrajet common rail diesel engine and the 65bhp 1.2-litre CVCP Safire MPFI petrol engine — being manufactured at the Fiat-Tata joint venture at Ranjangaon in Maharashtra.

It comes with a 24-month (or 75,000 km) warranty – which is the best in the segment – and will be available in seven colours. Tata Motors will introduce airbags when the car debuts in the international markets.