Tata Motors' Ace touches one-lakh mark
The Hindu Business Line — March 20, 2007

Tata Motors rolled out its 1,00,000th Ace, its mini-truck, 20 months after its launch, from the company's Pune plant. It was flagged off by Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Motors. The Ace, suitable for urban and rural use, is powered by a small twin cylinder 16PS IDI 700cc diesel engine, and has a turning radius of 4.3 metres. Besides being introduced in all major States in the country, it has also been launched in Sri Lanka, said a press release.

Ravi Kant, managing director, Tata Motors, said, "We are happy that we have been able to meet customers' need for a mini-truck for the last-mile connection, while providing comfort, style and easy maintenance. What particularly pleases us is that the Ace has been able to generate self-employment, with many of its owners being individuals who have entered the transportation industry for the first time." Tata Motors is setting up a dedicated plant for Ace at Pant Nagar in Uttaranchal, with an annual capacity of 2,50,000 units. The plant will begin production this year. Tata Ace HT (high torque), a special variant to deal with a wide variety of gradients, especially in the north eastern region has also been recently launched.

Applications

The company has developed several applications of the Tata Ace, such as a water tanker, a delivery van (box type, for high-volume low-weight cargo), delivery van - bodyline (for precious cargo and courier services), garbage tipper, D'Siltman (for desilting underground drainage and wells), dumper placer, and Ace-elevated platform. Tata Motors, the country's largest automobile company, registered revenues of $5.5 billion in 2005-06. With over four million Tata vehicles plying in the country, it is the leader in commercial vehicles and the second largest in passenger vehicles, the company said on Monday.