Mumbai:
Tata Motors aims to establish itself as the leader in the electric vehicle (EV) market in the country as it looks to roll out new products for both private and fleet segments, a senior company official said.
The company, which sells its Tigor EV primarily to fleet customers, is now gearing up to cater to the personal segment with the introduction of the electric version of compact SUV Nexon which comes with a range of over 300 kms.
"As far as Tata Motors is concerned, we want to establish ourselves as leaders in the EV space. We have taken up the mission that we should be ahead in terms of EV technology," Tata Motors President Electric Mobility Buisness Shailesh Chandra told PTI in an interview.
The auto major aims to build complete in-house capabilities in terms of design, supply chain and even full local manufacturing in the EV space as part of its plans to be a complete player in the segment, he added.
"As an India OEM (original equipment manufacturer), we should be seen as very strong brand in the EV space. Here we are not dealing with 70 years old ICE (internal combustion engine) world. We are not catching up. Here, let others catch up with us, that is the thinking," Chandra said.
He added that the company aims to have two clear types of customers — fleet and private buyers and accordingly it needs to come with different solutions for both segments.
Besides Nexon, which Chandra said would be priced between Rs 15-17 lakh, the company would also consider all the future products coming on its Alfa architecture as potential candidates for electrification.
Tata Motors has just introduced premium hatchback Altroz, which is the first product to be based on the Alfa architecture. It has also introduced Ziptron powertrain for EVs under which the company plans to provide a range of over 250 kms for all its upcoming models.
"Alfa architecture is protected for electrification. Every product on this platform will be a target for electrification. Altroz is the next target for us, that is the next project we are working on," Chandra said.
The company would also keep working on updating its products meant for fleet segment, he added.
The company in the first phase would look at seven major cities for EV deployment and later expand operations in other parts of the country.