"Our vision to build aspirational cars," says Tata Motors.
Tata Motors announced that they have created a 50:50 joint venture with Jayem Automotives for developing and producing performance-oriented cars based on existing products under the banner 'JT Special Vehicles'.
Guenter Butschek, CEO and Managing Director, Tata Motors, said -
We are delighted to partner with Jayem, a brand known for its capabilities in concept creation and prototyping of special performance vehicles. This partnership is a step towards creating long-term relationships as a part of our transformation journey and to bring more exciting performance variants to our product range.
J Anand, Managing Director, Jayem Automotives Pvt Ltd, said -
We are excited about our joint venture with Tata Motors and to be a part of their transformation journey. We aim to bring World Class Performance Products to market in a short time, and to fulfil expectations of passionate customers in the niche segment of sportier cars.
The companies have not announced a timeline for launch or the products in the pipeline, but we expect the first performance-oriented Tata product to arrive later this year. JT Special Vehicles will develop the products with all processes including design, precision machining, assembly, and testing facilities in under one facility, which is reported to be coming up in Coimbatore, Jayem Automotives's base.
Tata Motors has expressed interest in entering the entry-level performance car segments, and have showcased a sportier version of the Tata Bolt at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show and Auto Expo 2016, which was co-developed with Jayem Automotives. Last year, the rumour of a Tiago Sport with a 1.2L turbocharged 3cyl engine were circling, although Tata has not confirmed such a product in the works.
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Given that Tata has now taken the next step of launching a performance-oriented portfolio of cars in India, the rumoured Tata Tiago Sport could see the light of day soon, featuring a detuned version of the Tamo Racemo's 190 PS 1.2L 3-cyl engine. The Tigor Styleback and Nexon SUV could also gain performance-spec variants in its lifecycle.
