Tata Motors may produce other models also at Sanand

Tata Motors is looking to add production of more vehicle models at its Sanand plant to make the operations more viable, according to industry sources. This plant with a capacity of 2.5 lakh units a year is dedicated to making the Nano. But with monthly sales volumes of the small car turning out to be much lower than the capacity at the plant, adding other models to the production line would help the company and its suppliers be more profitable at the location.

“To utilise the vacant capacity, they (Tata Motors) will look to make more products at the plant, maybe shift some models from plants in Pantnagar or Dharwar. We look at Tata Motors as single customer and don't focus on individual products. And, for the company, Sanand is a strategic location,” a leading supplier to the automaker said.

Though the company has planned to increase Nano's monthly production by fiscal end to 20,000 units from 10,000 units, August sales had dipped by 85 per cent to 1,202 units, a far cry from the peak of 10,012 units Nano saw three months back in April.

Fiat, Tata cars not to be sold under same roof

Fiat India on Tuesday said it will no longer sell its cars under the same roof as joint venture partner Tata Motors and will set up its own showrooms in around 20 cities across India in the next one-and-a-half years.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association's (ACMA) annual summit , Fiat India President and CEO Rajeev Kapoor said the same dealers that were engaged by the Tata-Fiat joint venture will now open separate showrooms for Tata and Fiat-brand cars.




"Fiat cars will now be sold separately and independently," Mr.Kapoor said.

He said in about one-and-a-half to two years' time, Fiat's independent showrooms would be present in 20 cities.

"Also, we are opening two Fiat cafes, one each in Delhi and Pune, for promoting the brand by bringing'Italian-ness'," he added.

As part of a 50:50 joint venture agreement signed in 2007, the two companies had agreed to a joint distribution network and back-end support system, besides co-manufacturing of products at Fiat's Ranjangaon facility, near Pune.

The relationship had come into question as Fiat cars were unable to attract sales.

In an interview published in a report by market research firm JD Power, Tata Group Chief Ratan Tata had said the joint venture has not been as active as planned and the association needed to be critically examined to optimise its potential.

In August, just 1,069 Fiat cars were sold in the country, whereas 16,829 Tata cars were bought by consumers.

Scoop: Tata Safari Merlin Spied Inside Out by IAB

Tata Safari Merlin

After the Aria 4X2 and the Vista upgrade, the next big launch from Tata Motors is going to be the Safari Merlin. Ever since the Safari was launched in 1998, it has achieved a cult SUV status like the Scorpio from Mahindra.

The Tata Safari was always an aspirational product from Tata Motors. You didn’t buy the Safari because it fitted your budget, but because you wanted one badly.

It was also a popular car for the who’s who of the country such as the politicians and film stars. But over the years, the Safari aged and the sales started dwindling. So Tata Motors has decided to breathe new life in the Safari with the Merlin.

If you have seen the test mule you are not sure whether the Merlin is a whole new Safari built from grounds up or is just a major facelift of the current Safari.
However, the test mules of the Merlin are being tested for months now. No manufacturer would test a facelift so vigorously. Tata Motors always wanted to use the Aria’s X2 platform for the new Safari so there is a high chance that this is a whole new Safari rather than just a facelift.

Tata Safari Merlin

Exteriors:

Let’s start with the exteriors first. The new Safari doesn’t seem to be any bigger, wider or longer than the earlier Safari. The front reveals a rather conventional boxy design than a curvy one. A close photo of the headlamps reveals it will have a single projector lamp and not a dual one.

The headlamp design itself has been completely changed. The old Safari had rectangular headlamps. The new one will feature a swept back design. There is no smiling grille which is a signature element on Tata products. Plus, there are also turn indicators on the OVRMs which is a safety feature more than anything else.

Tata Safari Merlin

Although this test mule is covered in heavy camouflage, the rear reveals something every interesting. Notice the design of the tail lamps, the alloy wheels and the trapezoid exhaust pipes. Don’t they look very familiar to this undisguised image that was leaked back in July? Read Full story: Tata Merlin (New Tata Safari) may be launched around September End

Tata Safari Merlin

This means that the image which was leaked in July (above) was of the actual Merlin before the psychedelic paint scheme. The back also reveals a tiny spoiler and a wiper to get a clear view while reversing. Tata should continue offering the rear view camera and sensors.

Interiors:

Now we come to the juicy part – the interiors. Yes, this image clearly demonstrates what the new Safari interiors has in store for us. As you can see, the Safari interiors are NOT inspired by the Aria and are more or less the same like the old Safari. A few things that we have noticed are:

Tata Safari Merlin Interiors

• The steering wheel will be leather wrapped.
• The new Safari will have Airbags like the old one. Notice the new gear lever and console.
• The stereo in this test mule looks like an aftermarket pioneer unit.
• There is no low ratio gearbox.
• There is a storage pocket above the central AC vents.
• It will not have a dead pedal
• It may not have steering mounted controls
• The rear seats have been redesigned

Tata Safari Merlin Interiors

However, it still remains a mystery whether the Safari Merlin will be positioned above, below or at par with the Aria 4×2. There is a rumor that the Safari Merlin will be launched on the very next day the wraps are taken off the Mahindra XUV500. Read Full story: Tata Safari Merlin launch on Sep 27th 2011?

Does this mean that the Safari has its eyes set on Mahindra’s global SUV? Or will Tata Motors try to undercut the Mahindra XUV500?

 

Source: IndianAutosBlog

Tata Motors launches new Indigo e-CS with mileage of 25Kmpl

New Indigo e-CS

The Tata Indigo eCS Compact Sedan, which has been the pioneer of compact sedans in India, has gotten yet another upgrade from Tata Motors Limited. This time around, Tata motors have made the already fuel efficient sedan, even more fuel efficient with a raft of changes to boost the fuel economy number further. Now, the Tata Indigo eCS Diesel is touted to deliver a stunning 25 KMPL, thus making it the most efficient sedan in India.

It sports the all new CR4 Common Rail Diesel engine that has a displacement of 1396 cc delivering 70 PS @ 4000 RPM. With a higher torque of 140 NM at a lower 1800-3000 RPM, improvements in gear ratios, clutch-to-start and reduction in the weight of the car by around 10 kg, the Tata Indigo e-CS VX ensures better pickup. The Tata Indigo e-CS VX is also available with the MPFi petrol engine. Both these engines are compliant with BS4 emission norms.

How has Tata managed to squeeze an astounding 25 KMPL from the Tata Indigo eCS Diesel?

Tata Motors attributes the higher fuel efficiency of the 1.4 Liter TDI common rail turbodiesel to five main factors. 

1. The 1.4 liter turbodiesel engine’s ECU is said to have been optimized for maximum fuel economy. The company stated that the new car has features like SMART EMS (Engine Management System) CHIP that involves perfectly calibrating engine components every micro second to optimise functionality -- right from valve timing to compression ratios, to pressure volume ratios, to air fuel mixture, flawlessly synchronising every engine function to deliver 25 kmpl mileage.
2. The company also claims an innovatively designed engine head, block and piston assembly that ensures effective intake and circulation of charge (mixture of air and fuel), thereby minimising pumping friction losses. The result is maximum combustion of charge, increased efficiency and power.
3. The Indigo e-CS aerodynamics are said to have been improved to reduce drag. Tata says that the wheel arches have been redesigned and the body shell has been lightened to make the Indigo eCS a little more aerodynamic.
4. The gear ratios of the Indigo eCS has been altered for better driveability and economy. 
5. The Indigo eCS now gets low resistance tyres to reduce rolling resistance to a bare minimum, thus contributing to a higher fuel economy. So, all these changes have helped the fuel economy number of the Indigo eCS Compact Sedan go up by 2 KMPL, from 23 to 25 KMPL.

Other class defining features in the Tata Indigo e-CX VX are stylish R14 alloy wheels, satin finish front grill, headlamps and ORVM with blinkers. They, coupled with body coloured bumpers and chrome inserts on the rub rails, endow it with head turning looks. The interiors have been enriched with dual-tone beige seating and dashboard, premium wood-finish centre console, new instrument cluster with chrome rings and rear centre armrest for enhanced comfort. The plushness is enhanced with keyless entry, ABS, Bluetooth connectivity and electrical controls for ORVMs, besides carrying forward the comfortable AC, power steering and power windows. The car comes with a warranty of 18 months and unlimited kms, for private usage.

Diesel cars have been the flavor of the season and hence this high economy number is a great selling point for Tata. On whether these changes will actually translate into an actual increase in sales is something that we’ll find out in the coming months’ sales numbers. The Tata Indigo eCS Sedan’s VX diesel version is available at an ex-showroom Delhi price of INR 5.8 Lakhs while the top end petrol version comes in at INR 4.97 Lakhs.

Scoop: Range Rover Evoque in India

A junction on Paud Road in Pune leads to a very interesting place that is heaven for car spotters, the road to the hill on which the Automobile Research Association of India(ARAI) is situated. Every new car and motorcycle needs to undergo homologation at ARAI before it can begin commercial sales in India and thus, spotting cars at 8 AM in the morning, just as the ARAI gates open for testing is what many automobile enthusiasts like us indulge in.

 

Recently, an automobile enthusiast named Akshay Vaidya caught a camouflaged Range Rover Evoque at the ARAI-Paud Road junction in Pune. While the SUV was camouflaged, the very distinct shape of the SUV was a dead giveaway that the SUV caught on camera was indeed the Range Rover Evoque Crossover SUV. There has been a lot of talk about Tata Motors planning to launch this model at the end of this year and the ARAI homologation runs have only further added credence to this belief. Also read: 2011 Range Rover Evoque Spotted in India :ICB

Now we have further information coming in with a November launch for the Evoque confirmed.  Initially, the Range Rover Evoque Crossover will be brought into India through the CBU route, straight from Hailwood, UK.  A while later, in the middle of 2012, the Evoque Crossover SUV will be assembled in India through CKD kits at Tata Motors’-Mercedez Benz’s erstwhile production facility at Chikli, off Pune. Also, bookings for the Evoque are being accepted by some Jaguar-Land Rover dealers in India.

 

Initially the prices of the Range Rover Evoque are expected to be quite steep at INR 50 Lakhs for the base diesel model, going all the way up to around INR 63 Lakhs for the top end, three door 240 Bhp petrol variant. CKD assembly of the Evoque Crososver SUV is expected to help Tata owned Jaguar-Land Rover price the Evoque Crossover SUV at a competitive sub 40 Lakh Rupees. At this price, the Evoque could give top end variants of the BMW X3 Crossover and the upcoming Audi Q3 Crossover a tough fight. See more on pricing in India here: Range Rover Evoque in India from December?

The Range Rover Evoque SUV is expected to be powered by a 2.2 Liter common rail turbo diesel engine good for 190 Bhp of peak power. The Crossover SUV will offer a  mix of car like handling and decent off road ability that the Land Rover brand has always been known for in a futuristically styled package, that will grab plenty of attention. Surprisingly, the test mule features a three door layout even though the Evoque is available in 5 door guise internationally which means that the Evoque could indeed be available in 3 door guise in India too.

Source: www.indiancarsbikes.in