Former GM designer Dilip Chhabria and his India-based concept, coach-building and soon-to-be, niche car manufacturing company, DC Design, arrived at the Delhi Auto Expo 2014 with a world premiere of a new open-top production car named Tia.

With a length of just 2,550mm (100.3 inches), the two-seater roadster model is smaller than a Smart Fortwo. It sports a space frame chassis with a roll-cage and carbon-composite bodywork, with DC Design saying that it weighs 950kg (2,094 lbs).

For its motivation, the Tia uses a mid-mounted 1.2-liter turbocharged petrol engine delivering 120-horses to the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission for a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 9 seconds and a top speed of 160km/h (100mph).

Production of the Tia is expected to begin within the next year or so, with the company stating that prices will start from a rather steep Rs 18 Lakhs, which comes to about $28,700 or €21,100 at today’s exchange rates.

Photo Credits: Motorbeam / Faisal Kahn

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