Tata Tiago back in top-10 selling cars of India

The Tata Tiago hatchback is now back in the top-10 selling cars of India after nearly 14 months. In February 2019,  Tata Motors dispatced 8,286 units of the Tiago to dealers across India, propelling the hatchback to 10th place in  sales charts. The Tiago pushed out its arch-rival – the Maruti Celerio – from the 10th spot.

The Tiago’s excellent  sales in February 2019 represent a massive 23 % jump in numbers when compared to those from February 2018. TheTiago  has been around for over 3 years in India, and each passing year, the hatchback has been getting stronger and stronger in terms of sales.

The Tata Tiago started out slow, averaging less than 5,000 monthly units initially. Buyers were slow to warm up to a  Tata hatchback given the fact that the likes of the Tata Bolt and Indica were fresh in their minds. The Tiago started  off with an exceptional value-for-money price tag. The base variant was priced at just Rs. 3.2 lakhs, and the Tiago  rubbed shoulders with the likes of the Maruti Alto and the Renault Kwid – cars from a segment below. The Tiago’s  actual rivals – the likes of the Maruti WagonR and Celerio – were Rs. 1 lakh pricier than it, and this eventually  made buyers understand the great price at which the Tiago was selling at.

The rock-bottom starting price brought more buyers into Tata showrooms, and most of them drove away with the Tiago after checking out the car in the flesh, and test driving it. Now though, the Tiago has become an established brand in the entry-level hatchback market, and to this day continues to be Tata Motors’ best selling car. The price has also taken a upward trajectory. Currently, prices of the Tata Tiago start from Rs. 4.27 lakhs, which is a far cry from the Rs. 3.2 lakh price tag at which it was originally introduced. This price isn’t affecting demand though as buyers have now realized that the Tiago is not just larger than the WagonR/Celerio but is also more powerful and feature-rich.

Over the last 3 years, Tata Motors has also introduced a range of new variants, and this has served to keep the  hatchback quite fresh. For those who want a crossover-ish hatchback, there’s the Tiago NRG, and for those wo love  speed and power – the Tiago JTP ticks all the right boxes. As of now, the Tiago has an eyewatering 27 variants, which  offer great choice to the entry-level hatchback buyer. Talking of the Tiago JTP – the flagship variant in the  hatchback’s line-up, it’s a hot hatch with a 1.2 liter turbocharged petrol engine borrowed from the Nexon. The Tiago  JTP gets 112 Bhp-150 Nm outputs, giving it a 0-100 Kph timing of under 10 seconds. The car is India’s cheapest hot  hatch, with a price tag of Rs. 6.39 lakhs.

The Tiago JTP not only has a more powerful engine under the hood, but also gets revised styling on the outside that  looks quite racy. The suspension has been firmed up for better handling, and the car also sits lower than the regular  version. The interiors also get a once over with aluminium control pedals and contrast stitching. To sum it up, the  Tiago JTP is the fastest hatchback money can buy in India for under Rs. 8 lakhs. Rivals for the Tiago JTP include the  Maruti Baleno RS and the Volkswagen Polo GT TSI, both of which are priced much higher.