Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles has launched the Tata Aeris compact sedan at an introductory starting price of Rs 5.29 lakh for the petrol version and Rs 6.29 lakh for the iCNG version. Both prices are ex-showroom. Bookings are open, and the car is available at the company's dealerships across India.

The Aeris is designed exclusively for private buyers. Tata said it will not offer the sedan to fleet operators, whose requirements it will continue to address through the Xpres brand. This gives the Aeris a separate identity in a segment where cars often serve both personal and commercial buyers.

According to Tata, private buyers account for nearly 65 per cent of the compact sedan segment. The company has placed greater emphasis on design, cabin features and comfort to appeal to these customers customers.

"The sedan remains one of the most timeless expressions of the car, with a loyal set of customers who value its distinctive combination of comfort, space, driving dynamics and practicality," said Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director and CEO, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles. He said the Aeris had been conceived exclusively for individual ownership.

The Aeris is available in Smart, Pure, Pure+, Creative and Accomplished variants. The petrol manual range is priced from Rs 5.29 lakh to Rs 8.19 lakh, while petrol AMT variants cost between Rs 6.69 lakh and Rs 8.74 lakh.

The iCNG manual range starts at Rs 6.29 lakh and goes up to Rs 9.19 lakh. The iCNG AMT is priced from Rs 7.69 lakh to Rs 9.74 lakh. These are introductory ex-showroom prices.

The petrol version uses a 1.2-litre Revotron engine with a choice of five-speed manual and AMT options. It uses Tata's twin-cylinder CNG setup, which is designed to leave more usable luggage space than a conventional single-cylinder layout.

The Aeris gets LED headlamps and daytime running lights, a wide lower grille, diamond-cut aero alloy wheels and connected LED taillamps. A dual-tone black roof is also among its design elements.

Inside, the sedan offers ventilated leatherette seats, a 10.25-inch touchscreen and a five-inch digital instrument display. Other features include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, automatic climate control, rear AC vents, 65W Type-C charging and more than 35 connected features. The boot has a capacity of 419 litres.

Six airbags are standard. The safety equipment also includes electronic stability control, ABS with EBD, hill hold control and ISOFIX child-seat anchors.

Features such as a blind-view monitor, a digital video recorder and a 360-degree camera are part of the equipment list, although their availability will depend on the variant. The iCNG versions get additional safeguards, including leak detection and thermal incident protection.

The Tata Aeris will rival the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Honda Amaze and Hyundai Aura.