Tata Motors’ presentation at Auto Expo 2023, which included the Avinya concept SUV, the Harrier EV, the Sierra, and the Curve, reaffirmed the company’s plans for its SUV lineup. Tata also announced the launch of two new petrol engines that will power some of its future vehicles, even though the majority of these were presented in the form of electric vehicles. These engines are distinct from Tata’s Revotron engine family, which is utilized in Tata Punch, Tata Nexon, and Tata Altroz automobiles.
Rajan Amba, vice president, of sales, marketing, and customer service at Tata Motors, said about these engines on the sidelines of the Auto Expo 2023 that these engines will be used in the new concepts shown at the Expo.
These new engines are more powerful with a lot of low-end torque, are lighter, have better fuel efficiency, and have better emissions. They will be incorporated into our brand-new concepts, such as the Tata Sierra and Tata Curve.
At this time, Tata does not offer petrol engines for its larger SUVs like the Tata Harrier and Tata Safari. Instead, they only offer diesel engines with 2-liter Fiat engines. Amba responds, “It’s not that simple,” when asked if these would receive the 1.5-liter turbo petrol engine. Due to the extensive reengineering that needs to be done, we will continue to evaluate ways to include them in our current portfolio.
Multi-fuel strategy
For its small cars, Tata is trying out a hybrid fuel strategy. It displayed a Tata Altroz and Tata Punch equipped with twin-cylinder CNG technology at the Expo. Having two smaller cylinders with a capacity of 30 kilograms makes the vehicle easier to package and saves space in the trunk.
Amba also discussed Tata’s readiness for BS6 phase 2, also known as the real driving emissions (RDE) standards, which will be implemented in April 2023. He asserts that Tata is prepared for it and already complies, noting that the company will continue to prioritize safety given that the majority of its vehicles have five-star safety ratings and rank among India’s safest vehicles.
The limited life of cars is positive:
Amba says that from the point of view of net zero carbon neutrality, the limited lifespan of automobiles particularly in the Delhi-NCR region, where diesel vehicles have a lifespan of ten years and gasoline vehicles have a lifespan of fifteen is all positive.
Amba states: Prioritizations philosophy, in my opinion, varies between businesses. I mean, we are mass-market, comply with FAME, and certainly have net zero goals at the forefront of our minds. Small car prices have increased from Rs 9.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh from an average of Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh in 2016. To make those decisions, we need to consider our finances and a combination of all of these things.
The expo allows us to demonstrate all of our decisions, including the CNG side and new engines. In my opinion, the future seems to be heading in the right direction.