Accordian Investments sold 2 500 Tata passenger cars and bakkies on the South African market last year, with around 1 800 of these being bakkies, says CEO Kyri Michael.

Accordion Investments is 60%-owned by Imperial’s Associated Motor Holdings and 40% by Tata Africa.

Tata bakkie products include the Telcoline, Xenon and Super Ace models, with passenger cars including the Manza and Indica ranges, and now also the new Tata Bolt.

“We hope to double, as a minimum, passenger car sales with the Bolt,” says Michael.

The entry-level Bolt falls into the more affordable, small-car A and B segments, which made up 47% of all new passenger car sales in South Africa for the first eight months of the year.

Michael is also hopeful the Bolt sedan and hatchback will be the first in a range of new products to be introduced by the Indian manufacturer, which aims to roll out two new models each year to 2020 in a drive to refresh what has become a rather stale product line-up.

The focus will continue to be on affordability.

“We will evaluate each model from Tata to see if it is suitable for South Africa,” says Michael.

The current plan is to launch another compact car in South Africa next year.

Tata also has a small sports utility vehicle in the works, confirms Michael.

The Tata Bolt is offered in two trim levels – the XMS and the XT – while buyers also have the choice of a five-door hatch or a compact four-door sedan.

Initial thinking is that the sales split will be 70% hatch and 30% sedan.

The Bolt offers comfort features such air condi-tioning, electric windows (front and rear) and electrically adjustable rear-view mirrors.

Luggage space is 210 ℓ, with the sedan offering an extra 150 ℓ.

The Bolt features the 1.2 ℓ Revotron turbo-charged petrol engine, with a power output of 66 kW at 5000 rpm, and 140 Nm of torque available between 1500 rpm and 4 000 rpm.

There are three different drive settings, namely Sport, Eco and City.

The engine drives the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission. The addition of an automated manual transmission in 2016 is a possibility.

Safety features include an antilock braking system, electronic brake distribution, airbags for the driver and front passenger, speed-sensitive, automatic door locking and daytime running lights.

The Bolt also offers an alarm-immobiliser and remote central locking.

Inside, there are steering wheel-mounted controls for the audio and phone facilities, while a nifty five-inch screen (touchscreen for XT variants) supports the multimedia experience, also offering Bluetooth technology for smartphone integration.

The Harman infotainment system supports video playback (using an USB or SD card facility when the car is stationary) and voice commands. Incoming text messages can also be read aloud.

Pricing for the Bolt starts at R132 995.

All models come with a five-year/100 000 km factory warranty, a two-year/30 000 km service plan and five-year roadside assistance.