ata Indica with a boot. That was the characteristically cynical reaction to the Indigo when Tata Engineering (now Tata Motors) unveiled its maiden three-box sedan in December 2002. The opinion, as first opinions go, was not entirely unfounded. The Indigo, after all, shared the hard-to-miss front profile of its sibling hatchback. Add to this the fact that the mid-sized car was built on the two-box platform of the smaller Indica, and the notion that the boot was essentially a �slap-on� was hard to shake off.

Rivals in the C segment discounted the Indigo, the sedan�s competitive pricing notwithstanding: the base petrol variant was launched at Rs 4.35 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom, Mumbai). The Indigo would, at best, attract top-end B segment buyers, went the reasoning. It would leave the average �class-conscious mid-sized car consumer� unmoved. ... more