Tata's First Hybrid Car That Was Showcased More Than 13 Years Ago [Video]

Hybrids are becoming the talk of the town again. In the past few days, we saw many manufacturers voicing their hybrid plans, intentions and road maps. Even Tata Motors, despite disagreeing with the draft policy which proposes to incentivize them, has announced that it will make hybrids if the market demands. Let's now go back to a concept car which the manufacturer had showcased at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo- the Manza Hybrid concept- probably Tata's first try at the tech. It had gathered much appreciation from visitors then.

Back in its day, the Indigo Manza was regarded by many as a better buy in its segment. It even received a Club Class variant which felt notably richer inside than the regular car, and had more features as well. It was also a time when the sedan segment was booming. These could have led to the carmaker basing the hybrid concept on the Manza platform.

The Manza Hybrid was showcased at the Auto Expo, 13 years ago. It sort of looked like a Manza, but then again, maybe not. The silhouette was that of the sedan. But almost every detail- from the grille and LED lights to the wheels, was different.

The headlamps had bi-xenons in them, along with LED elements. The sleek tail lamps too were LED units. The grille on the concept car had a sealed-off design. From the side, it looked almost the same as the regular Manza- except for the wheels.

With its unique design and the crowd's general affection for the nameplate, the hybrid concept managed to gather eyeballs instantly. The show car had a tabloid near to it, detailing its powertrain technology and specifications. Under the hood of this concept was a 1.05 liter DICOR engine paired with a 45kW Electric Traction Motor. The hybrid technology used in this concept was reportedly the same that they had in Tata buses back then.

The concept had automatic engine start/stop function and regenerative braking- both these are common finds on modern-day hybrids. The concept even had roof-mounted solar panels to extract solar energy- something that sounds hard to believe even in the present day's technology landscape.

Forming the base of this electric hardware was a powerful Lithium-ion battery pack. The brochure did not mention its capacity though. It however, said that the vehicle had a kerb weight of 1250 kilograms. The standard car used to weigh around 1100 kilos.

This means that the addition of the traction motor, battery pack and other electrical components did not make it too heavy. This also makes us believe that the battery pack here could have been a rather small unit, unlike many strong hybrid cars of the day. Again, these are mere speculations.

Inside the cabin, the concept had a lot of premium trims, upholstery and a lot of features. The brochure said it to have six-way powered front seats, an intuitive controller screen, a 7-inch infotainment touchscreen with haptic feedback, and proximity touch-operated door locks.

We now realise that many of these features were later introduced on various premium models from Tata Motors. The list of safety features included ABS and airbags. Back then, these were rare finds unless the car belonged to a premium segment.

Even though it go the crowd excited, people knew that the Manza Hybrid Concept would not make it to production anytime in the near future. It was expected to go through a lot of revisions and refinement which would make it viable and practical, before hitting the production line. Unfortunately, the market winds changed and none of these plans were realised. The project is said to have been scrapped...