Indian conglomerate Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata has said that Tata Motors will have an electric car in the market by September this year.
"We will have an electric car in the market in September," Tata was quoted as saying by Cornell University on its micro-blogging feed on Twitter. Tata is also a Cornell trustee.
He talked about the electric car at the Cornell Global Forum on Sustainable Global Enterprise organised by the university.
In 2008, Ratan Tata speaking at the Annual General Meeting of Tata Motors said that the company was developing an electric car.
Foreign media also reported quoting Tata at the forum that Tata Nano, dubbed as the world's cheapest car, is expected to be available in the US in the next two years.
The much-awaited Nano was commercially launched in March in India and is expected to hit the roads soon.
According to the university website, the Tata Education and Development Trust committed USD 50 million to Cornell in October 2008 to establish the Tata Scholarship Fund for Students from India and the Tata-Cornell Initiative in Agriculture and Nutrition, intended to improve the lives and livelihoods of India's rural poor.
At Tata Motors' annual general meeting this week chairman Ratan Tata told shareholders about an electric car partnership project with Norway, with the car to launch in Norway within the next 12 months, according to Swedish weekly Ny Teknik, and India afterward. Calcutta Telegraph said Tata will use its Indica platform for the development of its electric car, not the no-frills, $2,500 Nano, which is scheduled to start rolling off production lines in September. Tata is currently working on five prototypes of electric vehicles, the Telegraph said, with lithium-ion batteries and an approximate range of 200 kilometers. Indica is a full-size highway-ready car, but Tata hasn't said whether the Indica-based EV will also be full-sized or an NEV (neighborhood electric vehicle), or given price signals.
Scandinavia cornering electric vehicle market?
Tata's electric car is supposed to be initially assembled in Norway, which seems a bit strange given the country's high wages compared to India. On the other hand, with THINK and the Kewet Buddy under production and Miljøbil Gronland working to continually beef up the infrastructure of fast recharging stations, Norway has some accumulated EV competence.
Reva electric car's strong sales
Tata earlier partnered with Chrysler's electric vehicle unit Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) to develop and market an electric version of its light commercial vehicle Ace for sale in the United States, according to Germany's Spiegel Magazine. Spiegel also said India's electric car maker Reva has sold 2,500 units, including 1,000 in the UK, and is hiking capacity to 30,000 units by December from 6,000 now.
Tata's mystery electric car partner
THINK thus far gave no indication that it was Tata's EV partner, nor did Kewet, according to Ny Teknik. But Miljøbil Gronland, though refusing to give any details, did say it "has a project with India" according to Ny Teknik. Owned by government-owned Norsk Hydro, Miljøbil Gronland has a fleet of different EVs and hybrids that it leases to Norwegian consumers.
Showing posts with label rathan tata. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rathan tata. Show all posts
Tata Motors deliver's first Nano Today
Tata Motors Ltd, India's largest vehicles maker, said on Thursday it would deliver the Nano, the world's cheapest car, to its first customer on Friday.
Chairman Ratan Tata had showcased the Nano at an auto show in New Delhi in January last year, but consumer bookings began only in April this year after the project was delayed due to land disputes at its planned site in the eastern state of West Bengal.
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The plant for producing the Nano was shifted to a new site in Gujarat on the west coast, but the first batch of Nanos would come from its car plant in Pantnagar in northern India.
Tata has assured price protection for the first 100,000 customers, for whom the cars will be available for 100,000 rupees ($2,053), excluding taxes.
Chairman Ratan Tata had showcased the Nano at an auto show in New Delhi in January last year, but consumer bookings began only in April this year after the project was delayed due to land disputes at its planned site in the eastern state of West Bengal.
Article Controls
The plant for producing the Nano was shifted to a new site in Gujarat on the west coast, but the first batch of Nanos would come from its car plant in Pantnagar in northern India.
Tata has assured price protection for the first 100,000 customers, for whom the cars will be available for 100,000 rupees ($2,053), excluding taxes.
Nano Set To Roll
One lakh applications selected for the one lakh rupee car.Tata Motors has announced that it has completed the task of selecting the first 100,000 owners of the Tata Nano. Having to choose from the list of a little more than two lakh applications, the first batch of customers were chosen through a random computerized process. While 67% of the applicants decided to go ahead with the option of awaiting the delivery of the car even if they were not amongst the first 1,00,00, Tata has managed to give 55, 021 of these applicants allotments as well while the booking amounts of the remaining applicants will be returned. The company is all set to start deliveries from July 2009 and is expecting the first batch of deliveries to be done by the last quarter of 2010. The first 1,00,00 will get the Nano at its launch price on March 23 after which the 55, 021 retainees will receive their own Nanos.
Here is the long Press Release.
Tata Motors is pleased to announce that it has completed the process to select the first 100,000 owners of the Tata Nano from among the 2,06,703 final list of applicants who had booked the car. As announced at the launch on March 23, the first 100,000 owners were selected through a computerised random selection process.
The company had said that the process would be completed within 60 days of the closure of booking on April 25.
The booking process had also given the option to applicants to indicate whether they would like to retain their booking amounts with the company, even if they do not get selected among the first 100,000 allottees, and await delivery of their cars after them. 67% (137,867) applicants had chosen this option, from which a further 55,021
retainees have been made allotments. The booking amounts of the unsuccessful applicants, who had not exercised this option, are being returned.
The company will be individually informing all applicants about their status of being an allottee, retainee or an unsuccessful applicant. The details have been uploaded on www.tatanano.com . Applicants need to log on with their booking application number to know their status or contact the company appointed call centre (020 66495678).
Here is the long Press Release.
Tata Motors is pleased to announce that it has completed the process to select the first 100,000 owners of the Tata Nano from among the 2,06,703 final list of applicants who had booked the car. As announced at the launch on March 23, the first 100,000 owners were selected through a computerised random selection process.
The company had said that the process would be completed within 60 days of the closure of booking on April 25.
The booking process had also given the option to applicants to indicate whether they would like to retain their booking amounts with the company, even if they do not get selected among the first 100,000 allottees, and await delivery of their cars after them. 67% (137,867) applicants had chosen this option, from which a further 55,021
retainees have been made allotments. The booking amounts of the unsuccessful applicants, who had not exercised this option, are being returned.
The company will be individually informing all applicants about their status of being an allottee, retainee or an unsuccessful applicant. The details have been uploaded on www.tatanano.com . Applicants need to log on with their booking application number to know their status or contact the company appointed call centre (020 66495678).
Tata Introduces Limping Luxury Brands to India
Tata Motors has introduced its Jaguar and Land Rover brands in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing automobile markets. But the celebratory announcement to mark the occasion has been tempered by plummeting sales and the threat of job cuts and factory closures at both brands.
For the first time in eight years, Tata reported an annual loss. The culprit: a $504 million drain inflicted by struggling Jaguar Land Rover on the Indian company’s bottom line. Tata bought the historic brands for $2.3 billion from Ford in March 2008.
Unfortunately for Tata, the purchase was soon followed by a collapse in the global economy. Sales of luxury sedans and S.U.V.’s – core to the Jaguar Land Rover portfolio – have been hit especially hard. According to Reuters, during a 10-month period ending in March, Jaguar Land Rover sales fell to 167,000 vehicles, compared to 246,000 in the same period the previous year.
Mr. Tata maintained his optimism during ceremonies held last Sunday welcoming the British makes to India. “We at Tata Motors are proud to have these brands,” he said, according to The Economic Times, saying it was a “terrific decision.”
But questions linger as to how Tata — relatively unknown outside of India and a specialist in budget-minded vehicles — can align its operations with two British companies synonymous with prestige, power and a well-heeled clientele.
Base versions of the Tata Nano city car start at $2,200 (taxes and fees included), whereas prices for Jaguar Land Rover products in India will begin at more than $120,000. While the Nano has been well received by the media – including my test drive of the range-topping LX version – the fact remains that the tiny four-door has none of the frills (and even less of the social status) typical to Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles.
The Indian lineup of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles will include the XF and XFR sedans, sporty XKR coupe, Land Rover Discovery 3 and the Range Rover S.U.V. Tata Motors said it would develop a dealer network for Jaguar Land Rover this year and next. According to a report in The Business Standard, Land Rover is also negotiating with the Indian government to supply military vehicles to the armed forces.
That news might provide little relief for Jaguar Land Rover employees in Britain. The Birmingham Post reports that Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain has held talks with Tata regarding the company’s threats to close British factories to stem the flow of red ink. Belt-tightening by Tata could also put a crimp on the development of future models, such as a hybrid version of the Jaguar XJ sedan and an eco-themed XE sports car.
For the first time in eight years, Tata reported an annual loss. The culprit: a $504 million drain inflicted by struggling Jaguar Land Rover on the Indian company’s bottom line. Tata bought the historic brands for $2.3 billion from Ford in March 2008.
Unfortunately for Tata, the purchase was soon followed by a collapse in the global economy. Sales of luxury sedans and S.U.V.’s – core to the Jaguar Land Rover portfolio – have been hit especially hard. According to Reuters, during a 10-month period ending in March, Jaguar Land Rover sales fell to 167,000 vehicles, compared to 246,000 in the same period the previous year.
Mr. Tata maintained his optimism during ceremonies held last Sunday welcoming the British makes to India. “We at Tata Motors are proud to have these brands,” he said, according to The Economic Times, saying it was a “terrific decision.”
But questions linger as to how Tata — relatively unknown outside of India and a specialist in budget-minded vehicles — can align its operations with two British companies synonymous with prestige, power and a well-heeled clientele.
Base versions of the Tata Nano city car start at $2,200 (taxes and fees included), whereas prices for Jaguar Land Rover products in India will begin at more than $120,000. While the Nano has been well received by the media – including my test drive of the range-topping LX version – the fact remains that the tiny four-door has none of the frills (and even less of the social status) typical to Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles.
The Indian lineup of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles will include the XF and XFR sedans, sporty XKR coupe, Land Rover Discovery 3 and the Range Rover S.U.V. Tata Motors said it would develop a dealer network for Jaguar Land Rover this year and next. According to a report in The Business Standard, Land Rover is also negotiating with the Indian government to supply military vehicles to the armed forces.
That news might provide little relief for Jaguar Land Rover employees in Britain. The Birmingham Post reports that Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain has held talks with Tata regarding the company’s threats to close British factories to stem the flow of red ink. Belt-tightening by Tata could also put a crimp on the development of future models, such as a hybrid version of the Jaguar XJ sedan and an eco-themed XE sports car.
The Middle Class has Moved on to Tata Nano
Today’s piece is not so much about an ad as it is about an idea. Well, it is not really about an idea in the abstract. Tata’s Nano is after all a car; not just a cute little
ladybird, but an automobile that aficionados across the world are watching very seriously. Yet, the Nano is an idea, and that is exactly how it has been marketed. There are print and digital ads out for the product, but no TV ad as yet (if I have missed out on one, please point out my ignorance). These ads however are not seeking to introduce the car. The Nano arrived long before it was launched last month.
We may laugh at the Americans for their obsession with cars. Among Germans there is the joke that whereas their autobahns are world class, their schools are not. Reason: families have more cars than children! Here in India, cars have never been iconic; farmers and soldiers have traditionally captured the national imagination, not cars. Yet in 1983, Maruti inaugurated the India envisioned by late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. The middle class, it seemed, had arrived along with a little 800-cc car. On the one hand, Maruti was a car that everybody struggled hard to fit into the
image of India they had in mind. Would it survive our roads? Was it not a matchbox, unsuited to the great Indian family? Yet on the other, the little car heralded the Indian middle classes’ tryst with the future. Up to then, they were constantly reminded of the past, tied by guilt to India’s poverty and shortage economy. With Maruti, urban
India began to aspire for things that marked the modern world. I drove my father’s Maruti out of the showroom in 1984; I know the feeling. We had finally done owning a car; we now owned a Maruti!
Tata’s Nano is the next big thing for
India. The middle class has moved on; the next wave is rushing in to fill up the ever-widening space created by India’s economic boom. People have been booking the Nano with helmet in hand; a butcher arrived to book the Nano, it is reported, with cheque filled in and signed.
Nano defines the India of the aspiring classes. Interestingly, the Nano was born of the desire and conviction (Ratan Tata’s) that it could be done, like the Konkan Railway and the Delhi Metro. In these and many other ways, the Nano will provide a new vocabulary to define India as it unfolds in the years ahead. The ‘lakhtakia’ car (the ‘one lakh’ car, as it is known in north India) could, for example, replace our rickety three-wheeler ‘autos’. We’d probably call the new avatar the Mini Cab, or better still, the Nano Cab.
So Mr Tata, having sold his story and his dream to the nation, has made the task of his brand managers easy. The car seems to be selling itself. The print ad has been visualised as green and friendly with a crayon art touch to it.
The idea I would imagine, is to keep it simple. The pitch has been made. The aspiring classes are on board. The only thing left to do is to shake Singur off, and get the assembly line in shape.
Postscript: Singur returns 9,340,000 hits on Google. Any guesses why?
Sorece: expressbuzz.com
ladybird, but an automobile that aficionados across the world are watching very seriously. Yet, the Nano is an idea, and that is exactly how it has been marketed. There are print and digital ads out for the product, but no TV ad as yet (if I have missed out on one, please point out my ignorance). These ads however are not seeking to introduce the car. The Nano arrived long before it was launched last month.
We may laugh at the Americans for their obsession with cars. Among Germans there is the joke that whereas their autobahns are world class, their schools are not. Reason: families have more cars than children! Here in India, cars have never been iconic; farmers and soldiers have traditionally captured the national imagination, not cars. Yet in 1983, Maruti inaugurated the India envisioned by late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. The middle class, it seemed, had arrived along with a little 800-cc car. On the one hand, Maruti was a car that everybody struggled hard to fit into the
image of India they had in mind. Would it survive our roads? Was it not a matchbox, unsuited to the great Indian family? Yet on the other, the little car heralded the Indian middle classes’ tryst with the future. Up to then, they were constantly reminded of the past, tied by guilt to India’s poverty and shortage economy. With Maruti, urban
India began to aspire for things that marked the modern world. I drove my father’s Maruti out of the showroom in 1984; I know the feeling. We had finally done owning a car; we now owned a Maruti!
Tata’s Nano is the next big thing for
India. The middle class has moved on; the next wave is rushing in to fill up the ever-widening space created by India’s economic boom. People have been booking the Nano with helmet in hand; a butcher arrived to book the Nano, it is reported, with cheque filled in and signed.
Nano defines the India of the aspiring classes. Interestingly, the Nano was born of the desire and conviction (Ratan Tata’s) that it could be done, like the Konkan Railway and the Delhi Metro. In these and many other ways, the Nano will provide a new vocabulary to define India as it unfolds in the years ahead. The ‘lakhtakia’ car (the ‘one lakh’ car, as it is known in north India) could, for example, replace our rickety three-wheeler ‘autos’. We’d probably call the new avatar the Mini Cab, or better still, the Nano Cab.
So Mr Tata, having sold his story and his dream to the nation, has made the task of his brand managers easy. The car seems to be selling itself. The print ad has been visualised as green and friendly with a crayon art touch to it.
The idea I would imagine, is to keep it simple. The pitch has been made. The aspiring classes are on board. The only thing left to do is to shake Singur off, and get the assembly line in shape.
Postscript: Singur returns 9,340,000 hits on Google. Any guesses why?
Sorece: expressbuzz.com
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