Future Tata cars to get more efficient

Not content with the success of the very fuel efficient eCS and eV2, Tata is looking at upping the fuel efficiency quotient of its cars. On display were a pair of solutions; one heavily technical, the other a bit of clever engineering.

First up is the Manza hybrid concept which Tata is looking at putting into production quite seriously. Both a series and parallel hybrid, this car uses a 3-cyl version of Tata’s 1.4 DiCOR engine. Known as the 1.05-DiCOR, Tata has used a balancer shaft and made some changes to the turbo to improve the base efficiency of the engine. Added to this will be an electric power source with a 45kW electric traction motor. Energy storage will be taken care of by more expensive Li-ion batteries. A roof-mounted solar panel will trickle-feed some charge to the batteries, as will regenerative braking. This could also be Tata’s first car to get bi-xenon headlamps.

The 1.05-litre DiCOR unit is also expected to power the Vista. Tata has been testing the car and engineers claim startling fuel efficiency that will set a new benchmark, possibly making it one of the most efficient cars in its class. The 3-cyl will be more efficient than the 4-cyl engine due to reduced cubic capacity and lower internal friction. However, as with other three-cylinder engines, a lot of its success will depend on how refined and well balanced this engine will be.