Tata Motors’ Bolt to hit the street on 20 January

As the year 2014 draws to a close, India's automobile major Tata is gearing up for a new beginning with its sporty hatchback, the all-new Bolt, which would hit the street on 20 January 2015.

India's largest automobile manufacturer opened online bookings for the hatchback model on 22 December for a meagre booking amount of Rs11,000.

The new model comes with a 1.2-litre turbocharged Revotron MPFi petrol engine and promises a very powerful but comfortable ride.

The car's other features include: Bosch's ninth generation anti-lock braking system, dual airbags and corner stability control.

The advanced safety features would in addition to helping drivers stay in control, ensure a safe ride as well. The car would also come with several entertainment and connectivity features; for instance, advanced voice command recognition and smartphone-enabled navigation system.

According to reports, the interior of the car as seen on the company web site, looks pretty spacious, while its rugby shoulder seats looked comfortable enough to sink in. The Bolt is expected to be launched at a starting price of Rs4.3 lakh.

Though Bolt looks much like a modern evolution of the company's late 1990s launched Indica hatchback, it was ahead of any Indicas before, even the most recent `Vista'. While it might not be the best product in the segment, it was still a product that would put up a strong fight against the already established competition - Maruti Suzuki Swift and Hyundai Grand i10.

The hatchback comes with a revised grille section merging with the sharp headlamp cluster housing the smoked projector units. As regards the interiors, the Bolt shares plastic bits in the cabin with Zest. However, the dual treatment of the compact sedan has been replaced with an all-black look in the hatch, making it less plush.

The petrol variant would be propelled by a 1.2-litre Revotron turbocharged multi-point fuel injection (MPFi) mill, good for 90 bhp and peak torque of 140 Nm, the diesel variant would come equipped with the same Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre unit, rated at 75 bhp and 190 Nm of peak torque. A five-speed manual gearbox would come as standard across all variants.