Tata Zest sedan launches

The Tata Zest compact sedan has just launched in India, priced at around 500,000 rupees, or just under $9000. The new compact car offers what Tata claims to be segment-leading features, such as ABS, dual front airbags, rear parking sensors, LED driving lights and a five-inch touch screen infotainment system with Bluetooth streaming.

Although the new model is being spruiked as a global vehicle and Tata Motors already has a foothold in Australia selling the Xenon ute, the Indian car maker will not sell the Zest here.

Tata Motors Australia Managing Director Darren Bowler, said it was "no secret" the company wants to grow its vehicle portfolio in this country but noted that "right now we are concentrating on growing our Xenon light commercial vehicle range".

Although the Tata Zest has corner stability control, it has no electronic stability control which precludes it from being offered in Australia. In India, only high-end models get twin airbags, ABS and cornering brake control – entry level models get none.

Pitched at middle class Indian motorists as a stylish, feature-packed compact sedan, the Tata Zest measures 3995mm long, significantly shorter than the 4245mm Mitsubishi Mirage and 4440mm Honda City. Boost space is 390 litres.

The first vehicle based on Tata Motor's Horizonext strategy that uses a Volkswagen Group-inspired "one platform, many vehicles" approach, the Tata Zest also comes with "rugby shoulder" seats, electric power steering and the choice of turbo-petrol or diesel engines.

The new 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol Revotron engine cranks out 65kW/140Nm. The 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel Quadrajet engine is worth 65kW/200Nm. All engines are standard with a five-speed manual transmission and the diesel can be optioned with a claimed first-in-class five-speed automated manual transmission developed with help from Italian engineering firm Magneti Marelli.

Built in Pune, India, the Tata Zest was "engineered for global customers, by global teams across India, UK, Italy and Korea" said Ranjit Yadav, President Passenger Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors, at the car's launch.

"Both the petrol and diesel versions come with their unique segment-firsts and we are confident it will delight our consumers with its design, driving pleasure and great connectivity features," he said.

When the Tata Xenon ute was first tested by crash safety authority ANCAP, it scored just two out of five stars due to a lack of electronic stability control, although the importer says new models arriving this month (September 2014) will begin offering life-saving technology and will get a higher rating when retested.

For Tata passenger cars to be sold in Australia safety levels will likewise have to be raised and Bowler previously stated that could take another five years. Which means we probably won't see the Zest until an updated or even new-generation model arrives at the end of the decade.