Tata Motors plans 15-20 new CVs launches
The Economic Times — January 14, 2008

India's largest commercial vehicle maker Tata Motors on Friday said it will introduce up to 20 new products this year, while plans are afoot to start exporting its mini truck ACE to South Africa.

The company, which is also enhancing its bus portfolio, will set up a bus manufacturing for its joint venture with Brazilian firm Marcopolo at Dharwad in Karnataka having a capacity of 25,000 units per year.

"In the next 12 months we will be introducing 15-20 products, which is inclusive of the seven products that we have already displayed," P M Telang, Tata Motors Executive Director, Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, told reporters here at the 9th Auto Expo.

The products include the CNG ACE, pick-up truck Xenon, multi-axle LPT 3118, and tractor LPS 4923. Telang said Tata Motors was set to start export of a better version of its last mile truck ACE to South Africa by the middle of this year.

"The one tonne ACE, which is more powerful than what we have in India, will be first shipped to South Africa and later we are also looking at Thailand and Russia," he said, adding shipments to Russia should start by early next year.

The company currently exports about 400-500 units of ACE to Sri Lanka. "Currently we export about 8-10 per cent of production, going forward we should be looking at about 25 per cent in a couple of years," he said.

On its upcoming bus plant in Dharwad, he said: "The facility will first manufacture 16-32 seater Minibus 705 followed by medium commercial vehicles." It will be operational by the middle of this year.