Contrary to rumors and speculations, the Tata Aria facelift, the development of which is underway in full steam, is tentatively scheduled for an August 2015 launch. Code-named the Eagle, the Aria face-lift will come following the other big launch from Tata Motors – the Kite hatchback.
Let’s face it. The current Aria, apart from having a nice stance, makes the design team look severely underpaid. Driven by uncharacteristic styling and lackluster performance on the sales charts (averaging 130-odd units per month over the past 6 months, as compared to the monthly average of 2,700-odd units for the Mahindra XUV500 over the same time frame), the Aria’s other capabilities have taken a beating, calling for an imminent revival.
The Eagle face-lift shall address the oddball looks rather comprehensively, with an all-new front fascia including new headlamps, grille & bumper, and a thoroughly re-designed rear, which will thankfully do away with the lazily styled “upside-down Indica tail-lamps”. Some major changes in interior trim, ICE and design are in the offing too.
The current Aria got a newly tuned heart in 2014 – the same 2.2 litre VariCor four cylinder common rail diesel engine has been re tuned to produce a max power of 150PS at 4,000 rpm, which is 10PS more than what the motor produced in the pre-face-lift model. Peak torque is rated at 320Nm between 1,500 rpm and 3,000 rpm. The Eagle will continue with the capable, mile-munching drive-train, although a 6-speed automatic transmission is expected to debut with it. Watch this space!