The Indian automaker Tata has revealed this year at the Geneva Motor Show the Megapixel concept which follows the footsteps of last year’s less impressive Pixel concept. Tata says that this is a 4-seater city-smart global REEV – range extended electric vehicle concept which manages to achieve a maximum range of 900 km. It can do this by using a single tank of fuel, a 13 kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery, as well as a tiny single-cylinder 325cc gasoline range-extended power unit that has to recharge battery while the Megapixel is in motion.
Thanks to this complicated hardware configuration, this concept from Tata has CO2 emissions of only 22 g/km and it manages to have a fuel economy of 100 km / liter. Another interesting feature of the Megapixel would have to be its drive system that consists of four independent electric motors installed on each of the four wheels. These motors are capable to drive in either direction, and they work together with the car’s front wheels that allow the vehicle to have a turning radius of just 2.8 meters.
Some of the other technologies that Tata has included in this very interesting Megapixel concept would have to be support for induction pad charging and the HMI – advanced human machine interface touchscreen with which the driver has the possibility to adjust ventilation, temperature, performance and driving modes.
In addition, also as interesting are the panoramic roof and the pillarless double sliding door system. The company didn’t say anything about the possibility of turning this concept into a production model. We’ll let you know if they’ll do.
Source: Tata Motors
Post tags: Tags: concept, geneva-motor-show, motor shows, Tata, tata mexapixel
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Tata eMO EV
The Indian automaker Tata has brought to this year’s edition of the Detroit Motor Show a new concept. Known as the eMO EV, it carries an estimated MSRP of $20,000, but the company doesn’t have any plans of mass producing this vehicle.
Tata eMO EV
eMO comes from Electric Mobility, and this concept has a dual-motor, liquid-cooled, front-wheel drive drivetrain that is coupled with an air-cooled 18.4 kW high-energy / density battery. The Tata eMO EV concept is part of the Michelin Challenge Design and it is capable of hitting a maximum speed of 65 mph (105 km/h). Tata said that on a single charge the car can be driven for up to 100 miles (161 km).
Tata eMO EV
The suspension of the eMO EV has an independent lower A arm and MacPherson struts in the front, while at the back it has a semi-trailing link with separate mounting shock absorbers and springs. The stopping power is provided by front disc brakes and rear drum brakes that are antilock with electronically stability control. The steering of the concept is handled by the electric power-assisted rack and pinion system.
Tata eMO EV
Source: Tata Motors via WCF
Post tags: Tags: detroit motor show, Green, Tata, tata emo ev
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The 2012 Tata Nano has been revealed and its tiny 2-cylinder 600cc will get 3 hp more, raising the output to a grand total of 38 hp. Torque figure is also up by 3 lb.-ft to 38 lb.-ft, and the car promises to be more fuel efficient, managing to do 59.7 mpg (71.7 mpg UK or 3.9 liters / 100 km), with CO2 emissions standing at 92.7 g/km.
The revised version of the Nano will benefit from a new suspension set-up that will have an anti-roll bar at the front. In addition, the car’s steering mechanism will be revised while the exhaust note will be enhanced. As standard, the 2012 Tata Nano will be sold with power assisted brakes. The car will be available for purchase in a greater variety of exterior colors and clients will be able to choose from more interior materials.
The starting price for the 2012 Tata Nano is $2,670 (1,980 Euros / 1.40 lakhs).
Source: Tata Motors via Autocar
Post tags: Tags: Tata, Tata Nano
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Tata Motors – Opening 10 Jaguar Land Rover Dealerships In India
It seems that Tata Motors will be opening up 10 new Jaguar Land Rover luxury car brand dealerships in India, in order to increase sales in Asia’s second fastest growing major economy. Tata will be opening dealerships in the large Indian cities like New Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, according to what Rohit Suri (India’s head of the Tata Motors premier car division) said to the reporters of New Delhi Friday.
With this new decision to open 10 dealerships in India, Tata follows the trails of rivals BMW AG, VW AG’s Audi division and Daimler AG, which also are looking into increasing their sales in India, a market that is expanding its needs for premium brands. The luxury goods and services market here is projected to triple by 2015, reaching $14.7 billion, according to a report published in October by the Confederation of Indian Industry and A.T. Kearney.
As far as the Daimler sales are concerned, they went up by 82%, reaching almost 3,000 vehicles between April and September, in comparison to the similar period of last year. BMW was able to sell 2,674 cars, which is 53% more than 2009. Audi also did good, managing to increase their sales by a healthy 62%. These figures were published by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.
According to Suri, Jaguar Land Rover will start assembling the Land Rover units in Indian from mid 2011. The preparations of setting up the plant have already begun.
Forbes magazine states that the combined net worth of the 100 wealthiest people in India, reached $300 billion this year, a new record for India. This record is the equivalent of a quarter of the country’s gross domestic product. Credit Suisse Group AG said that the Indian wealth assets will most likely double in the next five years, reaching $6.4 trillion, due to the reason that the economic growth will improve their ranks.
According to Wilfred Aulbur, who is the head of the Daimler India unit, affirmed in September that he hopes that Mercedes-Benz sales in India will be able to rival with the UK in the next 10 years due to the rising demand for expensive cars.
The Jaguar Land Rover sales allowed a 22.2 billion rupees income for Tata Motors. The sales went up by 43%, thanks to the increasing demand for the Jaguar XJ sedan request in China and the United States, a car that has a base price of $72,000.
Post tags: Tags: Jaguar, Land Rover, Tata
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Quick, what do the Ferrari 458 Italia, the Audi R8 and the Tata Nano have in common? Both the supercars and the cheap compact are extremely fire-prone.
After hearing quite a few stories about burning Ferrari 458 Italia models, the Nano is back with a vengeance, as another model went up in flames on the streets of Delhi last week.
It seems that as soon as the owner attempted to turn on the car, sparks came out of the rear, where the engine was located, and a fire immediately started. Fire fighters were quick to intervened but the Nano already burned to a crisp.
A Tata spokesman revealed that the cause of the fire is still unknown, but that people shouldn’t panic, as there are still tens of thousands of Nanos on Indian roads that aren’t burning.
Check out the fire engulf the Tata Nano in the video after the jump.
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Post tags: Tags: audi-r8, ferrari 458 italia, fire, Tata, Tata Nano, Video
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Everybody remembers the Tata Nano right? The low-cost (albeit fire-prone) small car phenomenon that has already gripped India, right?
Well, you know what the Nano really needs, besides aftermarket tuning options or things like that? A convertible version.
That’s at least what the Indian plant where the Nano is made believed, as it has manufactured a few convertible versions of the Nano, in order to transport visitors around factory grounds in style and with the wind in their hair.
Although it seems the car has endured a few other modifications, like the tribal decals on the side or the step bar, the sight of a Nano without a roof is mighty impressive.
Still, don’t expect it to actually be available to the public, as the Nano was already cutting it close in terms of structural integrity as a coupe, so a convertible edition might be downright dangerous to drive.
What do you think of this low cost open top convertible? Share your thoughts below.
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Post tags: Tags: cabriolet, convertible, india, Tata, Tata Nano, tata nano convertible
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Tata planning to open Jaguar and Land Rover plant in China
Indian carmaker Tata has some pretty big plans for its Jaguar and Land Rover subsidiaries, which were bought from Ford some time ago.
After getting the brands out of their economic problems, Tata now plans to further increase profitability by targeting the biggest expending market in the world, China.
How will it do that? By building a new factory in the Asian country, capable of building at least 40,000 Jaguar and Land Rover models for that specific market. No word on when or where the plant will be opened, but the Land Rover models will gain top priority, seeing as how the brand moved 208,197 SUVs in China last year.
Sadly, this means some bad news for the two British plants currently producing JLR models, as one of them will need to be shut down. No word on which exactly, so until the China plant goes operational, it’s still business as usual.
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Post tags: Tags: china, Jaguar, Land Rover, Tata, uk
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Jaguar F-Type sportscar set to be produced, to rival 911 or R8
Jaguar is getting better and better, largely thanks to its new corporate overlord, Indian car company Tata.
Seeing as how costs have been cut and beautiful models like the new XJ are being sent into public success, room (and money) for growth is guaranteed.
According to the new Jaguar Land Rover boss, Carl-Peter Forster, new products are being developed for the two brands. Among the new Jaguar models, according to the executive, we might see a fresh sportscar, derived from the old F-Type concept we saw in 2000.
We still don’t know anything concrete, but rumors have been flying around about a resemblance with the iconic E-Type, and it might go against other more affordable sportscars like the Porsche 911 or the Audi R8.
Still, even though it’s a bit murky, the promise of a dedicated Jaguar sportscar is quite enticing. What do you think?
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Post tags: Tags: audi-r8, Concepts, Jaguar, jaguar f-type, porsche 911, rival, sportscar, Tata
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India’s low cost car phenomenon, the Tata Nano, has sold like hot cakes since it was made available in the subcontinent.
At the beginning of the year though, things got much hotter for new Nano owners, as three cases of the tiny car catching fire have been reported. While in two of those incidents, the fire was a result of a faulty switch, the third one left police investigators puzzled.
As such, Tata got together a team of its own experts and went to work on the remains of the charred Nano. The results are finally in, but are still a bit inconclusive.
Without revealing just what went wrong with that specific Nano, the team said that “no manufacturing defects” were found. As such, all other Nanos are completely safe to drive. If you’re still feeling a bit hot in your low cost city car, rest assured as Tata will be conducting extra investigations for all cars already in service.
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Post tags: Tags: fire, india, investigation, Tata, Tata Nano
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Indian car company Tata is selling the new Nano low-cost models like hot cakes. But as we revealed yesterday, some models are a bit too hot for their own good, as four cars have been involved in spontaneous combustion incidents while parked or on the road.
As you can imagine, in order to gain back the confidence of the public, Tata has started investigations into all of the cases. The first three incidents were seemingly caused by a faulty switch near the steering wheel, but how that could result in the parked cars catching fire is still a mystery for us.
Now, with the most recent incident happening while the car was driven on the road, Tata began a new investigation, and promised that it will showcase the results as soon as possible. At the same time, a spokesperson admitted that the recent case is pretty unique.
Until the investigation is completed though, if you want to drive your Nano model, just pay extra attention to any smoke or excessive heat.
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Post tags: Tags: fire, india, investigation, Tata, Tata Nano
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Many people in India eagerly awaited the low-cost Tata Nano city car. Offering a cheap and reliable means of transportation, with just a bit more power than a scooter, the Nano is experiencing sales like the proverbial hot cakes.
But it seems that Nano models were so hot that several new cars erupted into flames just after their customers picked them up from the dealerships. The latest incident involved a Mumbay resident who picked up his brand new Nano, and was being driven by a chauffeur (he didn’t have a license yet) to his home.
On the road, the two guys were overtaken by a motorcycle, and the rider immediately pointed out that the rear of the car, which housed the engine, caught fire. The driver and passenger managed to get out safely, but the resulting blaze (pictured above) charred the Nano model (pictured below).
This isn’t the first time Nano cars have caught fire, as three more such cases were reported at the end of last year. Tata denied that a recall was in order, as the fires are likely due to short circuits, and aren’t connected.
Either way, you can be sure that these incidents will make a considerable dent in the popularity of the Nano. Now, at least, Toyota’s unintended acceleration problems don’t seem so severe.
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Post tags: Tags: india, Tata, Tata Nano
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The Tata Nano has become nothing short of a phenomenon in the last few years, even though it is present on its native Indian market for just a short amount of time. This popularity was largely generated by its extremely low price of around $2,000, in its standard spec.
With plans to release it in other markets, like Europe or North America, you can be sure that Tata will make some changes to the Indian-spec model, and add more features, in order to attract customers from those markets, changes which will definitely increase the asking price.
Now, according to a new report, that asking price might be as high as $8,000 when the car will eventually hit North America sometimes next year. Why the triple price? Tata Technologies president, Warren Harris explains:
The structural changes that would need to be made, the changes that would be required as far as emissions are concerned, and some of the features that would be appropriate to add to the vehicle for the North American market, obviously that would drive up the price point.
You can also expect to see a more powerful engine in the Nano, with the two-cylinder 600cc unit being replace with at least a 1-liter engine, capable of taking the small city car to 90 mph, which is blazing fast as opposed to the current 65 mph limit of the Nano.
Would you still be interested in a Tata Nano even though its price is much higher? Leave a comment below.
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Post tags: Tags: north america, Tata, Tata Nano
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Remember that controversial Tata Nano tuning project which was revealed when Tata and India’s DC Design signed a contract to offer aftermarket parts for the low-cost car?
Well it seems that its price will be just a *bit* higher than the regular $2,000 asking price of the stock model. How much, you ask? About 110 times as much, with the price tag for the customized Nano being a whopping $220,000.
For all that money, you’ll be getting a shell of the former Nano, with its insides, from the body panels, brakes, suspension to the wheels or engine being completely upgraded. The “monster” 624cc engine, which developed 33 HP, will be replaced by a proper “supercar”-like 1.6-liter unit, which will get this upmarket Nano to 124 mph.
Believe it or not, Dilip Chhabaria, the owner of DC Designs says that it will sell around 2 to 5 models each year, and will also begin to export them.
Frankly, we’re left without words. If you can muster some of your own, you’re more than welcome to share them in the comments section below.
Source: AFP via Autoblog
Post tags: Tags: Tata, Tata Nano, Tuning
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Check out the Tata Aria crossover, the company’s most expensive model at $19,000
For many Tata fans with deep pockets, there just wasn’t something in the lineup which you could spend some money on. Sure, you could’ve bought a few Nanos and just give them away to other people, but believe it or not, premium cars are also selling in India, even though the latest batch of concepts from the New Delhi Auto Expo was filled with low-cost ones.
But before Tata will make the Pr1ma by Pininfarina concept a reality, people with money to spend will have to make due with the new Aria crossover model, which will be the most expensive and luxurious model when it will appear on the market at the end of 2010.
Luxuries will include six airbags, stability control, surround sound system, climate control, GPS and cruise control. The starting price is rumored to be at around $19,000, for the 2.2-liter diesel engine which develops 137 HP and 236 lb-ft of torque, but might increase with options such as four-wheel drive.
Marketed as a cross between and MPV and an SUV, the new Aria does seem like a big bet for Tata, both for its local market and also for other territories, but the company hasn’t revealed any plans to sell it elsewhere anytime soon.
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Post tags: Tags: crossover, new delhi auto expo, Tata, tata aria
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Here’s the Tata Pr1ma by Pininfarina concept
When you think about Indian carmaker Tata, things like pick-up trucks and small, low-cost compact cars spring to mind. When you think about famous Italian design company Pinifarina, you think about passionate sportscars with clever design.
So that makes them a perfect match! Don’t believe me? Check out this new concept above, which was unveiled at the New Delhi Auto Expo, taking place in India these days. Dubbed the Tata Pr1ma, it doesn’t necessarily hint at a production model, but it is definitely gorgeous.
Tata revealed that the coupe-like sedan illustrates the three fundamental characteristics of the brand’s design. Could you guess what they are? Why “sportyness, interior space and quality” of course!
But all joking aside, this is quite an attractive concept, even though it looks a bit like the Nissan 350z/370z. Hopefully something like this might appear as a limited series from Tata. What do you believe? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
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Post tags: Tags: concept, new delhi auto expo, pininfarina, Tata, tata pr1ma
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