DC Design unveils Tia city car and Eleron SUV at the Auto Expo

Snapshot: Indian design house DC Design unveiled two cars at the 2014 Auto Expo in the form of the Tia compact city hatchback and the Eleron targa top SUV. Both products will go into production in 2016, at DC Design’s new production facility near Pune. DC Design has plans to build 500 units of the Eleron and 1,000 units of the Tia each year. The DC Tia is priced at 18 lakh rupees while the Eleron commands a price of 35 lakh rupees, both prices reflecting ex-showroom Delhi figures.

DC Design Tia Compact City Hatchback

Measuring 2.55 meters in length, 1.68 meters in width, 1.41 meters in height and with a wheelbase of 1.62 meters, the DC Design Tia is a diminutive package that packs a punch. Dilip Chhabria, the designer who put together the Tia, aims to give city car buyers a compact, stylish and powerful runabout. Talking of powerful, the Tia packs in a 1.2 liter turbo petrol engine that is good for 120 Bhp of peak power and 190 Nm of peak torque.

A 4 speed automatic gearbox powers the rear wheels of the Tia. Despite featuring a carbon composite chassis, the Tia weighs in at a portly 950 kilograms. However, the powerful turbo petrol engine means that the Tia comes with good claimed performance figures, with the 0-100 Kph sprint dispatched in 9 second and with a top speed of 160 Kph. Armed with a 200 mm ground clearance and 18 inch wheels, the Tia seems like the perfect city run about that can take the rough with the smooth.

DC Design Eleron Targa SUV

The Eleron SUV is a two door, targa top model that has massive dimensions to make for an imposing street presence. Measuring 5.05 meters in length, 1.96 meters in width, 1.71 meters in height and with a wheelbase of 3.09 meters, the Eleron is a large SUV. Though built on a carbon composite frame, the Eleron weighs quite a bit with a kerb weight of 2,500 kilograms. The Eleron rides on 22 inch wheels.

The Eleron gets a powerful motor to go with its imposing looks in the form of a 2 liter turbo petrol engine that churns out 265 Bhp of peak power and 360 Nm of peak torque. Torque transmission to all four wheels of the Eleron takes place through an all wheel drive system and a 5 speed automatic gearbox. The Eleron can hit a top speed of 200 Kph while the o-100 Kph sprint is achieved in 9 seconds. Limited slip differentials are standard on this SUV.