Speculation is rife about Tata Motors investing in Jucu, near the Cluj-Napoca area of Romania after a report emerged on news service MediaFax. The county’s council chief Alin Tise said meetings were held with Tata officials but declined to elaborate on the matters discussed between the two parties. The investment value or the number of jobs stipulated is not yet known, it could run into millions of dollars.
What we do know is Tata’s trying to spread its wings with the Nano project. We’ve told readers how Bangladesh and Indonesia could get assembly lines for the Nano soon after the performance of the imported models is gauged.
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If you recall two years ago DC Design set off on designing a custom Tata Nano expected to retail for over one crore rupees. You won’t hear that everyday – no wonder it made headline news around the world. Newspapers in India ran the story days before the Auto Expo. Some publication went as far as reporting on an Auto Expo unveiling. It was not to be and all we got was the odd-ball body kits through Carnation outlets.
A recent report on The Hindu BusinessLine provides more insight on this elusive creation. DC silently finished the project last year adding goodies such as a drive-by-wire system akin to cars many times its actual price, LCD touchscreen and shipped the one-off Nano to a buyer in England who runs a company that supplies components to the Nano (did he mean Caparo?).
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After keeping their word to the Indian common man, Tata Motors think it’s about time to entice Indonesian masses with the launch of its home-grown hero, Nano. As per the reports on local newspapers, Tata Motors have already set up an office in Jakrata and intend to launch the car for the Indonesian market, sometime later in 2012.
At the initial sales stage cars will be imported directly from Tata’s Sanand plant in India. Later as the sales drive up the demand Tata Motors plan to assemble the Nano in Jakrata. The decision to build an assembly line will be taken only when Tata senses growing demand.
Tata Motors showcased the Aria AT concept at the Auto Expo and vehicle looked production ready. The launch of the Aria has not been a very sweet phase for the company that showed its maturity and manufacturing prowess through this project.
Despite the initial setbacks, Tata is firing in all cylinders and hopes the customer will fully understand the product in the future.
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At the Delhi Auto show earlier in the month, Tata thickly populated its pavilion with the most interesting exhibits. Tata brought down technologies, unreleased models and concept vehicles that not only provided the route map of the company’s new journey but also promised a boom-filled 2012 and 2013.
Standing next to the Manza Nova concept was the Indica Vista Concept S2. On first glance it looked like a kitted-up Vista with LED lights, different bumpers and two tone body paint, but there is more than what meets the eye.
Tata Motors refreshed the massively popular Ace mini truck launched back in 2005 and showcased it at the Auto Expo earlier in the month. The 750kg payload truck receives cosmetic changes to its front end with squared headlamps, wider outside mirrors, new dashboard with redesigned central console and mobile charging facility. It is evident that Tata’s planting common design chromosomes across its product offerings in the commercial vehicle division.
The Ace retains the 700cc (half the Indica’s engine block) IDI engine that produces a modest 16hp/38Nm. Tata’s working on the Ace DICOR likely to be market-ready in the course of 2012. Tata Motors held back details on the pricing front. The product launch is likely to be conducted in the next few months during which all the details will be up for grabs.
By mid-to-late 2012 Tata Motors should revisit the Manza. Why? In 2011 the Vista received new features and cosmetic changes. In 2012, the Manza, launched a year after the Vista in 2009, should have scheduled an appointment with the plastic surgeon.
Which direction will Tata take with the facelift? Will they lend it a very sophisticated look using design cues from the Manza hybrid concept? Or will they be more conservative to play it safe?
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Our regular reader from Pune, Suresh Deshpande has sent spy shots of Tata Motors Ultra LCV doing the rounds in Pune. The Ultra was showcased at the 2012 Auto Expo in all its glory. However, as Tata Motors still had some testing left, the company did not launch the LCV in Delhi.
The Tata Ultra LCV & ICV range will comprise a series of variants from 5 to 14 tonnes. The range will be powered by new generation 3L (138 HP) and 5L (168 HP) common rail (DICOR) 16-valve engines.
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Speculation is rife about Tata Motors investing in Jucu, near the Cluj-Napoca area of Romania after a report emerged on news service MediaFax. The county’s council chief Alin Tise said meetings were held with Tata officials but declined to elaborate on the matters discussed between the two parties. The investment value or the number of jobs stipulated is not yet known, it could run into millions of dollars.
