Tata to Launch Manza Elan
Greaves Cotton to supply diesel engines to TATA Motors
Engineering company Greaves Cotton said it has won a 10 year agreement from TATA Motors to supply small diesel engines for its new half-tonne truck Ace Zip which is 
expected to be launched in the first quarter of this financial year. Mr Prabhakar Dev MD and chief executive of Greaves Cotton said that "Greaves has developed a 0.6 litre engine for TATA Motors ' new truck. It will also provide CNG engines for the truck.” Greaves Cotton is supplying engines to Piaggio for its four-wheeler truck Ape as part of an eight-year contract.
The company also meets the diesel engine requirement of three wheeler makers including Piaggio, Mahindra & Mahindra, Atul Auto and Scooters India. Greaves Cotton plans to build a new engine manufacturing plant at Aurangabad in Maharashtra at an investment of INR 100 crore to meet the rising demand for engines. The statement said that this will get the company's total automotive engine manufacturing capacity to 400,000 vehicles per annum.
Tata Motors Fails to Deliver One Lakh Nanos in 2010
Tata Motors has missed the delivery target of its small car Nano to the 1st one lakh customers, who booked the car through a lottery system in 2009. Tata had selected 1.55 lakh consumers in 2009 for the delivery of the car in 2 phases. The delivery of 1st one lakh car was supposed to be achieved by the end of 2010. Since the beginning of deliveries in July 2009, Tata Motors has delivered only 77,000 cars till the end of December 2010, which also includes buyers from the 2nd phase and the open sales.
“There could be several customers waiting for deliveries, but at their own choice. We had informed everyone that the car was ready,” a Tata Motors spokesperson said. When queried about cancellations, he said, “There may be some cancellations as well, but some have postponed taking deliveries”.
The Tata recently started pan-India open sales of the Nano and boosted the sales from 509 units in November to 5,784 units in December. In July 2010, Tata Motors sold 9,000 units of the Nano, but the sales started to diminish regularly. After various fire accidents, Tata Motors announced a 4 year or 60,000 km manufacturing warranty on Nano to woo the customer. The company also requested Tata Nano buyers to bring back their cars to add safety features.
{Source: Carazoo}
Tata Ace EV Mini Truck Ready For UK Launch
First it was Indica Vista EV, now the owner of Jaguar Land Rover, Tata motors, are going to launch Ace Mini Truck’s EV (electric vehicle) version in UK very soon. Both were developed at Tata European Technical Centre in Coventry and will be assembled in the Midlands. The centre plays a significant role in R&D, especially electric and hybrid, for much bigger names.
The electric motor in the vehicle produces 25 kW of maximum power and 75 Nm of maximum torque. The Ace EV is powered by a 85 Ah battery that takes 8 hours for a full charge. With a top speed of 40kph and a range of 72km, the Tata Ace EV boasts to be the first electric mini truck in the world. Ace EV is the second electric vehicle to be launched in UK Market by Tata Motors besides the Tata Indica Vista EV passenger car. The Ace EV is the first electric LCV to arrive, but an FFH (faster, further, heavier) model in the 3,500kg GVW class is scheduled for two years’ time. A decision on whether to bring other models, including Tata’s latest conventionally powered Xenon pickup to the UK has still to be made.
Tata Launches Venture in Rajasthan
Tata Motors today announced the launch of Venture in Rajasthan. Tata Venture is a multi-purpose vehicle with comfort and driving experience of a small car with interior space of a spacious utility vehicle. Tata Venture is less than 4 metre in length and can comfortably accommodate eight passengers in 3 front facing rows and has ample boot space. A glasshouse effect with plug-in windows for 2nd row passengers contributes to the distinctive exterior design while the contemporary interiors sport a 2 tone beige and black theme. Special attention has been paid for driver and passengers comfort with dual air-conditioner, power windows power steering, reverse guide system, remote central locking with engine immobiliser and back wipers.
The construction of tata venture is semi monocoque type which provides the required rigidity while the robust shell has energy absorbing crumple zones built in. A collapsible steering and side impact beams protect passengers in case of any mishap. Tata Venture meets crash safety norms applicable in the domestic market. The Tata Venture is powered by a 1400cc turbo diesel engine which generates maximum power of 70 bhp, with best in class fuel efficiency of 15.42 kmpl as certified by ARAI. The Tata Venture will be available in 5, 7 & 8-seater options in 3 row front facing configuration and will be available in a range of five colors and three trim levels. The Tata Venture comes with a warranty of 2 years or 75,000 kilometers. In Rajasthan, it will be available across 24 dealerships in the 1st phase. The ex-showroom price of Tata Venture in jaipur is Rs. 4.05 for the base model.
Nano Upgrade Options
Tata Nano sales have been plunging over the months and recently, in November 2010, the Tata recorded sales as low as just 509 units. This figure shows how people have chosen to neglect the car.
However, Tata Motors are trying their best to give the small car a boost by introducing a 4 year (or 60,000 km) warranty as standard on new cars and also to customers who have already bought the car. That is not all, the company is also going to equip the Tata Nano with power steering and a 5 speed gearbox in order to attract more customers. The price of the Nano with a 5 speed transmission and power steering will go up, but it will still be less than the cheapest Maruti Alto variant, which is its direct competitor.
Tata Nano To Be Exported To Taiwan Soon
The world’s cheapest car, Tata Nano, will going to be exported to Taiwan very soon, according to some reports in media. A Taiwanese firm, TECO Electric and Machinery Co., plans to start importing the Indian-made Tata Nano targeting the island’s millions of motorcyclists as potential buyers, a company official said on Wednesday.
“We’re working on it,” said an official at TECO Electric and Machinery Co-orporation , a Taipei-based conglomerate with businesses ranging from home appliances and telecommunications equipment to IT systems and commercial electronics. It is being anticipated that if the Taiwan company TECO launches Tata Nano, the mini wonder in their country it will be affixed with few changes such as added air bags, and is expected to be launched with a price tag of 250,000 Taiwan dollars (6,000 US dollars). Taiwan, an island of 23 million, had 14.6 million scooters and motorcycles at the end of December, according to statistics compiled by the transportation ministry.
{Source: Autoplugged}
Tata Nano En-Route To Be a Global Car
Amidst the falling sales and loosing consumer interest during in the domestic markets, Tata Motors believes that it can open additional revenue streams by making Nano a ‘Global Car’. Recently we brought you a story about Teco Group’s interests in launching the Tata Nano in Taiwanese markets. Now, many delegates from South American, South East Asian, West Asia and African countries have evinced interested to launch the car in their respective domestic markets. These interests are even coming from companies that are'nt related to the auto industry at all. Based on this overwhelming response, Tata Motors is conducting market research surveys in various countries to fuel its international ambitions.
Tata Motors spokesman - As for exports of the Tata Nano, our focus is right now on India. However, Tata Motors has all along been conscious that the Tata Nano will be appropriate for other countries as well. Hence, even at the time of the unveiling in January 2008, the company had said the Tata Nano will be, over time, marketed in other relevant countries At present, we have started consumer clinics in several countries This comes as no surprise for us because when unveiling the car at the Delhi Auto Expo, Mr Ratan Tata had clearly mentioned that he had keen interest in making the Nano a global product. Exporting it to markets like Thailand, Taiwan, Turkey, Brazil and Romania is a logical step forward for this city car.
These market research surveys will help Tata Motors customize the Nano to better suit overseas conditions. The car will also have to be modified to meet the pollution and safety norms of the respective countries. As for the Indian market, the company officials are running from pillar to post to bring the sales figures to respectable standards. Their efforts include easy loans for the car, TV commercials, extended warranty and service and the Nano’s sales figure improved quite dramatically in December 2010, clocking 5,000+ units.
Tata Nano shows recovery signs as sales touches 5,000 units in Dec 2010
Tata Nano, touted as the cheapest car in the world, has started showing signs of recovery from its sluggish performance of last few months, as its total sales touched 5,000 vehicles in the month of December 2010. The Tata Nano had earlier witnessed a sharp decrease of about 85% to 509 vehicles in its sales in last second month of 2010, as compared to the peak of 9,000 vehicles sold in July 2010. Most of the company dealers cleared their huge backlog during last month, which has reenergized the production of the car at its Sanand plant, in Gujarat.
The Sanand plant of Nano was inaugurated in the month of June last year. As per the company dealers, the sales of small Tata Nano car picked-up during last 10 days of December. In last one month, the company has offered a range of lucrative schemes and offers to both existing and prospective Nano buyers in the Indian market. These schemes include new additional safety features for all car owners and an extended warranty of 4 years at the payment of just Rs 99 per month. Moreover, the company has also offered a special loan scheme through which buyers can now get a loan on Nano in just 48 hours.
After the Nano, Mr Tata wants to see cars running on water as fuel
Ratan Tata is known for his fascination for cars. He is a connoisseur of autmobiles and is constantly updated about the most recent tech in the automotive world. To construct the world’s cheapest car was a dream that Mr Tata realized through sheer will and vision. The supremo of India’s largest business conglomerate now dreams of seeing cars propelled by water. The imaginative businessman has invested close to $15 million in a start-up company which is supporting research in the field of water propelled automobiles. As reported by Rediff, the information was given out by Professor C N Rao, who is the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. He said that one of his close friends and a professor in the famed Massechusetts Institute of Technology in the US has devised a way to split water directly into hydrogen and oxygen.
The technology to run automobiles on hydrogen (fuel cell) is ready. But it’s the process of extracting usable hydrogen from water which is the bigger challenge. Once the technology becomes more accessible, the world would be looking at the more eco-friendly form of energy ever. The cash has been given By Tata to the professor so that he can own this company when it runs at full steam. The technology is said to be appropriate on any kind of water, which includes toilet water, rain water, even sea water! All we can hope is just like the Tata Nano this dream of Mr. Tata also realizes and ends the fuel woes of the world once and for all.