With its Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model Tata Motors just redrew the EV battle lines, says Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com
The Harrier EV is the first mainstream EV in India to offer a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive (AWD) which the company has termed as QWD, The Quad Wheel Drive, reports Rajesh Karkera.
With deregulation in diesel prices, this variant does not make sense.
Homegrown auto major Tata Motors on Monday said it will launch its mini SUV Punch in the ongoing festive season. Punch is based on the H2X concept, which Tata Motors had showcased at the Auto Expo 2020. It will be positioned below the company's compact SUV Nexon and is expected to hit the market around Diwali this year.
Long standing number two passenger vehicle maker in India, Hyundai Motor India, has slipped to fourth position in the domestic market in terms of retail sales last month behind Maruti Suzuki India, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors, as per the latest data shared by dealer's body FADA. Hyundai Motor India clocked retail sales of 38,156 units last month, a dip of 20 per cent as compared with 47,540 units in February last year.
Tata Motors on Wednesday said it remains confident about the long-term prospects of the electric vehicle segment and termed the fall in sales numbers a "short-term" issue. In an interaction with PTI at the launch of the company's first mid-sized electric SUV, Curvv.ev, at a starting price of Rs 17.49 lakh (with 45 kWh battery) Shailesh Chandra, managing director of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicle and Tata Passenger Electric, said that the company is looking to achieve one-lakh electric vehicle sales this financial year. Curvv EV is the second car based on the advanced Pure EV architecture - acti.ev, which marks Tata Motors' entry into the highly competitive mid-size SUV segment and will be competing with the likes of MG ZS EV, Hyundai Creta and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, among others.
While this is a thoroughly modern SUV, the soul of the original '90s icon lingers.
Under FAME-II, automakers provided subsidies to electric vehicle (EV) customers at the time of purchase, with the understanding that the government would reimburse the firms later.
Tata Motors on Monday said it has bagged an order for supply of 10,000 XPRES-T EV units from BluSmart Electric Mobility. The deployment of 10,000 units makes this the biggest ever EV fleet order in India, the auto major said in a statement. With deliveries starting soon, these vehicles are an addition to the 3,500 XPRES-T EV order, which was signed by both the companies in October last year, and will be used across the country for commuters, in turn helping minimise the carbon footprint.
CURVV, currently in its production-ready avatar, will first be made available as an electric vehicle, to be followed by its internal combustion engine counterpart.
Among the cars unveiled at the Auto Expo on Wednesday was Mahindra and Mahindra's e-KUV for Rs 8.2 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi. With a single charge range of 150 km and a 55 min fast charging upto 80 pc, it was both a head-turner and a conversation-starter.
Tata Safari - The Legend Lives!
In 2025, the Maruti Suzuki Dzire has emerged as India's top-selling car, while sport utility vehicles continue to rule the broader passenger vehicle market, capturing almost 55 per cent of the segment.
Tata Motors on Tuesday said it will increase prices of its passenger vehicles by an average of 0.9 per cent with effect from January 19, in order to partially offset the impact of rise in input costs. The Mumbai-based automaker sells various models like Tiago, Punch and Harrier, in the domestic market. Effective January 19, 2022, an average increase of 0.9 per cent will be implemented, depending on the variant and model, the automaker said in a statement.
India's rapidly ageing truck fleet, with 42% of vehicles over 12 years old, is set to trigger a replacement-driven growth of 3-5% annually over the next five years.
Recently, TPEM's first born electric concept, Avinya broke cover. The model promises a minimum range of 500 kilometres and advanced technology features, aimed at buyers in India and outside. TPEM, the newly formed entity may also consider a separate dedicated sales channel for the EVs with a distinctive corporate identity once the volumes reach a critical mass and throughput is large enough for the dealers to be profitable, said Chandra. Elaborating further on the hiring strategy he said, "We will hire from everywhere-wherever the talent of the required competency is available."
Tata Motors is looking at various measures, including direct buying from stockists and making changes in the product configurations, to offset the impact of semiconductor shortage on its production activities and sales, a top company official has said. The auto major, which sells models including Nexon, Harrier and Safari in the domestic market, is also looking at different kinds of chips which could be used in components where the supply situation is severe. The automaker expects the situation to remain challenging in the ongoing quarter and some improvement in supplies only in the second half of the fiscal.
Discounts range between Rs 20,000 and Rs 80,000.
Zest buyers are forced to wait up to six weeks for the automated manual transmission version, available only on this car in the compact sedan segment.
Tata Motors on Tuesday launched its second electric vehicle -- Tigor EV, catering to the personal segment in the domestic market, priced between Rs 11.99 lakh and Rs 13.14 lakh (ex-showroom). The model comes in three variants, priced at Rs 11.99 lakh, Rs 12.49 lakh and Rs 12.99 lakh. A dual tone top-end trim is tagged at Rs 13.14 lakh. The auto major has already achieved success with its first electric model, Nexon EV and now commences deliveries of Tigor EV from around 150 sales outlets in 70 cities across the country.
Jaguar Land Rover will begin assembling premium cars at its new Tamil Nadu plant on February 9, marking a step towards full-scale luxury car manufacturing in India.
As the Tata Sierra makes a triumphant return as a modern monocoque 5-doorOn November 15, Rajesh Karkera recalls the original SUV that defined his early adulthood.
The commercial vehicle business is one of the mainstays for the Tata group, highlighting the importance of Girish Wagh's appointment.
Tata Motors on Wednesday expanded its electric vehicle range in the country with the launch of Nexon EV MAX, priced between Rs 17.74-19.24 lakh (ex-showroom). Equipped with a 40.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the Nexon EV Max offers 33 per cent higher battery capacity than the Nexon EV, delivering ARAI certified range of 437 km (under standard testing conditions), ensuring uninterrupted inter-city travel. ARAI refers to Automotive Research Association of India. The model produces 105 kW (143 PS) of power and delivers a torque of 250 Nm, resulting in 0 to 100 sprint times in under 9 seconds.
Tata Motors on Monday launched the country's first CNG truck in the medium and heavy commercial (M&HCV) vehicle segment in the 28- and 19-tonne nodes. Most truck makers, including Tata Motors, currently offer CNG only in the small and light commercial vehicle segments. The company also launched a fleet of seven trucks in the intermediary and light commercial vehicle (I&LCV) segment, meant for varied applications.
The Tata group flagship has sold more sport utility vehicles (SUVs) in the domestic PV market in the past four months than any other automotive manufacturer, cementing its no.1 spot. It first grabbed pole position in the SUV segment in October 2021 after the launch of the Punch - a sub-compact SUV offering.
Tata Motors is banking on revotron engine to tap the petrol passenger car segment with three modes of drive.
Tata Motors' UK-based subsidiary, Jaguar Land Rover or JLR, reported a muted operational performance in the December quarter of financial year 2021-22 (Q3FY22). The luxury carmaker saw a 33 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline in wholesale volumes to just under 70,000 units in Q3, against estimates that were 16 per cent higher. The drop in despatches to dealers was on account of shortage in semiconductors.
Kant, an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur, was managing director of the company before being promoted as vice-chairman five years ago.
Be it the name, the design and communication campaign and the engagement processes being imagined between the brand and its buyers, the company is casting its cars in a new mould, reports T E Narasimhan.
Network scale seen as central to tapping smaller markets.
The company believes there is a shift in consumer demand, more buyers could opt for Skoda in future
Code-named Pelican, bigger hatchback with new petrol and diesel engines may hit the road next year.
There are hopes of a turnaround in overall corporate earnings after six quarters of single digit growth.
Mahindra pushes premium EV strategy with XEV 9e Cineluxe, blending luxury design, immersive technology and over 500 km range capability.
Cars like the Land Rover Evoque, endorsed by Victoria Beckham, have more women customers than men.
The company took five years to sell the 250,000 units of the Nano.
Indian car buyers care more about affordability than technology, keeping ICE vehicles dominant while hybrids emerge as the preferred transition option and EVs struggle in the mass market.
Government schemes such as the PM E-Drive initiative, with allocations of around Rs 2,000 crore for charging points deployment, are helping accelerate rollout
As battery prices drop, early customers of Tata Motors, which was the first mover in the passenger EV market, could feel let down.
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