Tata Motors plans premium EVs to retain pole position
- The carmaker unveils electric mid-sized SUV concept Curvv with a range of 400-500km
Tata Motors Ltd on Wednesday announced plans to introduce premium and technologically advanced electric vehicles (EVs) in the Indian market as it seeks to keep its leadership of this growing market amid intensifying competition.
Unveiling its electric mid-sized sport-utility vehicle (SUV) concept Curvv, Shailesh Chandra, managing director, Tata Motors passenger vehicles and Tata passenger electric mobility, said the upcoming SUV will have a range of 400-500 kilometres, significantly higher than Tata’s current Nexon electric SUV, which has a range of just over 300km. The new electric SUV architecture has been adapted from Tata Motors’ current internal combustion engine platform, underscoring the automaker’s plan to increasingly focus on launching EV-first products.
“If we launch a new concept, we see a compelling case to launch it with EVs first,” Chandra said in an interview. “The coupe-styled SUV Curvv is built on a flexible architecture which can be used for multiple power train options and body styles. However, it will first be launched in the market as a sporty coupe-style electric SUV in 2024, followed by an IC-engine variant in the next 6-12 months,” he added.
EVs comprised around 8% of Tata Motors’ total vehicle sales as of March. The automaker expects this share to grow to 20-25% in the next four-five years in line with the removal of barriers to EV adoption such as improved charging infrastructure.
Tata Motors’ EV sales soared 353% in FY22 to 19,106 vehicles, giving it a leading 80% share of the EV market, according to the company. Competitors like MG Motor India Pvt. Ltd and Hyundai Motor India Ltd’s EV offerings are placed in the premium-end of the market, even as market leader Maruti Suzuki India Ltd prepares to launch an electric car only by 2024.
SUV-focussed Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd is also slated to unveil its Born Electric concept this June.
Last year, Tata Motors had shared its strategy to launch 10 EVs in India over five years. This includes the existing first-generation Nexon and Tigor EVs, EVs based on the second-generation architecture displayed with the Curvv, and also a pure EV built on a full-EV platform. “We have adopted a three-step approach to introduce progressively advanced products for customers. Generation One products based on the Ziptron architecture leveraged our successful ICE vehicle platforms for safe, reliable, and accessible EV solutions focused on overcoming barriers to EV adoption and assuring customers. These products are built on the key pillars of range, performance, safety and reliability,” Chandra said.
“In Gen-1, we promised and delivered a certified driving range in excess of 250km and with this generation, we are looking at a driving range of 400 to 500km. In terms of charging speed, these EVs will be capable of faster and more efficient AC and DC charging. They will also be connected to the cloud through telematics to send and receive data and updates over the air,” he added.
While the Curvv EV remains two years away from commercial production, Chandra said the company has plans to launch multiple EV products over the next few months, based on the new architecture which offers higher performance and an extended driving range.
Tata Motors has indicated that two such product offerings will be announced later this month.
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First Published:7 Apr 2022, 07:15 AM IST
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