German firm to design Tata MUV
The Economic Times — August 26, 2006

Tata Motors has roped in German engineering company, IAV GmbH (Ingenieurgesellschaft Auto und Verkehr), to design and develop its new multi-utility vehicle (MUV) platform. The new platform may replace Tata Motors' warhorse Sumo which has served the company for over 12 years. Tata Motors' has been talking about its intention to develop a new MUV for over three years, but there have been very few updates on the status of the project.

In 2003, the company said, it had formed a group to work on the new platform, but said it may have to pull in external resources to style it. Now with the German design shop on board, the project may hit the fast track. There is still no word on a possible launch date; industry watchers say the vehicle should hit the roads before the launch of the Rs one-lakh car in 2007-08.

IAV GmbH employs over 2,500 people and has been involved in vehicle development for over 23 years. It offers comprehensive development assistance for the entire vehicle as well as the power trains. "Tata Motors is working on several innovations on its product portfolio. However, you will appreciate that we cannot share any details on our future launch plans," said a Tata Motors' spokesperson when contacted.

Tata Motors has sought help from international design houses even in the past. The Idea Institute of Italy had worked on designing and prototyping the company's maiden passenger car venture, Indica. Idea also collaborated with the house of Tatas to develop its new concept vehicle, Cliffrider, which was showcased at this year's Geneva Motor Show.

Over the years, the Sumo has received a few facelifts with the launch of the Tata Sumo Deluxe in 1996 and more recently the Tata Sumo Victa in 2004. However, it has been unable to keep up with competition especially from Mahindra & Mahindra's Bolero variants, which is India's largest selling utility vehicle now.