After the Nano and the World Truck, Tata Motors is readying for yet another big-ticket launch. This time, it will be on a 'crossover' sports utility vehicle platform.
The product - which is currently undergoing testing at the Tata Motors European Technical Centre, the company's research and development outfit in UK, and at the Engineering Research Centre at Pune - is likely to be launched sometime in 2010.
Sources indicated that this could be based on the crossover Tata Xover that was unveiled at the 75th Geneva Auto Show in 2005. A team of around 150 engineers have worked on the product for the last three years. The UK R&D centre which designed the structure of the world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, is believed to have made significant contributions to this SUV as well.
"For the consumer, the Tata Xover will blend the benefits of a family-friendly luxury tourer with refined driving dynamics and the visual cues of an activity-oriented sports utility vehicle," a Tata Motors release issued at the time of the Xover unveiling said.
The 4.85-meter long Xover can accommodate up to seven passengers and is configured to incorporate a range of Euro-IV engines. The rugged looking SUV is likely to offer a range of features like traction control, climate control and a navigation system, among others.
The Xover (or its new avatar) could be Tata Motors' biggest bet to arrest the falling sales in the utility vehicle space. While its net passenger car sales in May 2009 is down by 11 per cent on a year-on-year basis, its UV-SUV sales dropped by 49 per cent.
The company's cumulative sales in the segment this fiscal is 4,758 units, down by 45 per cent over last year. Currently, Tata Motors has the Sumo and the Safari in the UV-SUV segment.
A Tata Motors spokesperson confirmed the 'crossover' showcased in the Geneva auto show will be launched in India in 2010. The name will be decided at the time of the launch and the company also plans to export it from India. He did not give any further details.
Overall UV-SUV sales have been going down for sometime now. According to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, sales were down by 29.14 per cent in May. The declining UV-SUV market - made up by vehicles that are known to be fuel guzzlers - have even hit the overall passenger car sales' record this fiscal.
