Tata Motors has launched the Aeris compact sedan in India at an introductory price of Rs 5.29 lakh, replacing the Tigor in its passenger vehicle line-up with comprehensively revised styling, a redesigned cabin and a longer equipment list. Available in five trims — Smart, Pure, Pure+, Creative and Accomplished — the Aeris retains the familiar 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine while offering both petrol and CNG powertrains with manual and AMT gearbox choices.
Prices extend up to Rs 9.74 lakh for the top-spec version, depending on the powertrain and transmission. Bookings for the Aeris have opened, with customer deliveries scheduled to commence from October 11.
Tigor makes way for Aeris
Although Tata has given the sedan a new name, the Aeris is essentially the extensively facelifted successor to the Tigor rather than an entirely unrelated model. It retains the compact sedan’s basic mechanical package and familiar notchback proportions but receives substantial changes to its exterior and interior.
The front now draws heavily from the latest Tiago, featuring slimmer LED headlamps with eyebrow-style LED daytime running lights and a gloss-black grille. A redesigned bumper incorporates black detailing and pixel-style LED fog lamps, giving the Aeris a considerably sharper appearance than the outgoing Tigor.
The sedan measures 3,995mm in length, 1,684mm in width and 1,532mm in height, with a 2,450mm wheelbase and 170mm of ground clearance. Higher variants get 15-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, while Smart and Pure trims and the CNG versions ride on smaller 14-inch wheels.
Tata is offering six exterior colours — Nitro Crimson, Pure Grey, Dandeli Drizzle, Pristine White, Daytona Grey and Dune Glow.
Cabin gets major overhaul
Changes are more extensive inside, where the Aeris receives a dashboard closely related to the latest Tiago. Higher variants get a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system along with a digital instrument cluster, while wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are available depending on the variant.
The equipment list includes automatic climate control, rear AC vents, cruise control, wireless smartphone charging, keyless entry and push-button start. Tata has also equipped the higher variants with ventilated front seats, leatherette upholstery and connected-car technology.
One of the more notable additions is a 360-degree camera system with blind-spot monitoring, while an integrated dashcam recorder is available on the upper trims. The Aeris also gets rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlamps on suitably equipped variants.
Six airbags standard
Safety has received considerable attention, with six airbags standard across the range. The Aeris also offers ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, traction control, hill-hold assistance, tyre-pressure monitoring, ISOFIX child-seat mounts and three-point seat belts.
The petrol model provides 419 litres of luggage capacity. The CNG version uses Tata’s twin-cylinder arrangement, which places the tanks beneath the luggage floor to preserve more usable boot space than a conventional single-cylinder installation.
Petrol and CNG continue
Under the bonnet is Tata’s familiar 1.2-litre, three-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine producing 86hp and 113Nm. Buyers can choose between a five-speed manual gearbox and a five-speed AMT.
The same engine is available with Tata’s factory-fitted CNG system, where output drops to around 76hp and 97Nm. Importantly, both manual and AMT transmissions are offered with the CNG powertrain, widening the number of configurations available to buyers.
Tata has retained the existing mechanical formula rather than introducing a new engine with the Aeris, concentrating instead on styling, equipment, safety and cabin improvements.
Takes on Dzire, Aura and Amaze
At Rs 5.29 lakh, the Aeris enters the market below the starting prices of its principal compact sedan rivals. Its competition includes the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Aura and Honda Amaze, putting Tata back into the segment with a significantly more aggressive entry price.
The Aeris also starts below the outgoing Tigor, which was priced from around Rs 5.70 lakh. Tata has, however, pushed the upper end of the range higher by loading the top variants with features more commonly associated with larger and more expensive cars.
With the Tigor name making way for Aeris, Tata is effectively attempting a reset of its compact sedan offering rather than abandoning a segment increasingly overshadowed by SUVs. The combination of a Rs 5.29-lakh starting price, six airbags as standard, petrol-CNG flexibility and a substantially upgraded equipment package forms the core of that strategy.