New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS): Automobile major Tata Motors on Monday launched sub-compact SUV 'Tata Punch' with a starting price of Rs 5.49 Lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

According to Shailesh Chandra, President -- Passenger Vehicles Business Unit (PVBU), Tata Motors: "With Punch, we have created an entirely new category altogether to address a growing need for small-in-size cars with a true SUV character."

"We are extremely confident that with the kind of differentiation, the feature package and the absolute safety the Punch has to offer, it will definitely make its mark in the dynamic Indian car market in the days to come."

As per the company, Tata Motors Design Studios in India, UK, and Italy collaborated to design this vehicle.

The vehicle built on the proven and modern Agile Light Flexible Advanced (ALFA) Architecture is available both in 'Manual (MT) and Automatic' (AMT) transmission options.

It is powered by 'New Gen 1.2L Revotron BS6 Engine' latest 'Dyna-Pro' technology.

In addition, the vehicle has an ARAI certified 'Fuel' efficiency of 18.97 km per litre on 'MT' and 18.82 km per litre on 'AMT'.