Tata Bolt launched

Indian car giant Tata has launched its Bolt in its domestic market and the compact hatch could one day be part of the Indian brand's passenger car ambitions in Australia.

Not to be confused with the Aussie-designed Chevrolet Bolt concept car from the 2015 Detroit motor show, the Tata Bolt micro car was unveiled at the 2014 New Delhi motor show and has now been launched to the Indian public starting at around $9000.

Fitted with features such as a 5.0-inch touch screen HARMAN infotainment system with video playback, smartphone Bluetooth integration – including for navigation – plus voice recognition and text message read outs, the affordable 'luxury' micro car is pitched as a family vehicle in India, with the Indian middle class expected to snap them up.

Tata is also spruiking the Bolt's three-year/100,000km warranty with three years' roadside assistance and the first services for free, a sign of the increasingly mature Indian car market. The Bolt also comes with anti-lock brakes and cornering stability control.

Essentially the hatch version of the Tata Zest sedan, the Bolt is powered by the same compact engines – either a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol (65kW/140Nm) or a 1.3-litre turbo-diesel engine (65kW/200Nm), both four-cylinder units. The Bolt is roughly the size of the Mitsubishi Mirage micro car, and if offered in Australia would compete against that vehicle and others, including the Suzuki Alto and upcoming Hyundai i20 – also set to be sourced from India.

Tata, the parent company of Jaguar Land Rover, already sells the Xenon ute in Australia and has previously indicated that it wants to offer Tata passenger cars here in the mid-term future, expected from around 2018, but has no plans for the immediate future.

Sara Smith, Marketing and Communications Manager, for Fusion Automotive, the Australian importer of Tata, told motoring.com.au that "the long term plan has always been to expand into passenger vehicles".

"We will continue to work with Tata Motors as they move further into the HorizonNext program to assess the suitability of future products to the Australian market," she said.

Although Smith noted that there are "currently no plans to bring Bolt to Australia" as the importer focuses on promoting the Xenon ute, she said that the company was "watching with great interest" the new models being rolled out by Tata. A car like the Bolt, one of Tata's best-equipped compact vehicles, would be one of the most likely starters for Tata's Australian push.

The biggest hurdle faced by Tata in entering the Australian market will be ensuring the vehicles meet the high levels of safety expected by new car buyers, something that Fusion is well aware of.

"Australia is the toughest vehicle market in the world," said Smith. "In order to bring a passenger vehicle into the market we would need to ensure the value, specifications and safety content delivered a total package to be competitive within its segment."

The Tata Bolt is fitted with dual airbags but there's no mention of stability control, which is a requirement for all passenger cars sold in Australia.