The Hindu Business Line : Tata Motors to launch slew of vehicles in 2008

Pune, Dec. 20 Tata Motors is preparing to launch a slew of new products in the forthcoming year, including pick-up vehicles in Thailand, the world truck in Korea and India and inter-city coaches and buses under the joint venture with Marco Polo, in addition to the small car.

Amongst the vehicles, first in the line-up for commercial launch during 2008 are the Xenon and the Space Cab, the first of the pick-up trucks that will be manufactured by the Tata-Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant Company joint venture near Bangkok, in Thailand.

Mr P.M. Telang, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors, said that the vehicles were slated for launch around March. “The Space Cab has been developed in India, but will be made exclusively at our brownfield plant in Thailand,” he said. It would address export needs also, and Italy and Korea were amongst the countries with a market for the product, he added.

Tata Motors has 70 per cent stake in the joint venture and has invested Rs 150 crore in the plant, which will have an initial installed capacity of 25,000 units, with scope for expansion.

Speaking about the world truck being developed both in India and Korea by Tata-Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Company and due for launch first in Korea in June, Mr Telang said that it would have specifications that would address the needs of developed markets too. “We will design a full platform of vehicles and decide which one to launch. The world truck will have features such as the Taco-graph and GPRS so that it can be sold anywhere in the world. Of course, in other markets, there can be appropriate de-contenting,” he said. The truck will be launched in India six to nine months later.

Referring to the Tata-Marco Polo joint venture to manufacture buses and inter city coaches, Mr Telang revealed that work on the facility near Dharwad had begun, and manufacturing was expected to begin by the middle of next year. “The plant will have a capacity of 30,000 units, and we expect to reach 50 per cent of the capacity within a year’s time,” he said.

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