Homegrown auto major Tata Motors is developing a new platform for small commercial vehicles to tighten grip in the segment with its runaway success Ace mini-truck celebrates a decade of market leadership. The Tata Ace family of mini commercial vehicles has crossed the 1.5 million sales milestone since it was first launched in 2005.
"We are always working on new products to meet the changing requirements of our customers. We are aware that the Ace platform is ten years old and so we are developing a new platform for small commercial vehicle," Tata Motors Senior Vice President, Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, R Ramakrishnan told PTI. He, however, did not share details of the new platform which will add to the company's portfolio in the small commercial vehicles (SCV) category.
The company has been working to constantly evolve the Ace family of vehicles by strategically identifying and filling gaps in the market ahead of its time, Ramakrishnan added. Commenting on the achievements of Tata Ace, he said: "Between 2005 and 2010 we sold 5 lakh units, in 2012 it became 10 lakh and by 2015 we crossed the 15 lakh milestone." Ramakrishnan further said: "While we feel this is only the beginning of a long successful journey, we are proud that the Ace family has been the preferred choice for last mile transportation..."
When asked about the slowdown in the commercial vehicles market, he said: "While the industry has shrunk, we have increased market share in SCVs with the Ace family. We are concerned with growth in volume as the current situation economic conditions and tight financing atmosphere have affected demand." Tata Motors manufactures the Ace range from its dedicated plant at Pantnagar in Uttarakhand which has a capacity of 5 lakh units per year and also in Dharwad in Karnataka that has an annual capacity of 90,000 units.
He said the company has enough capacity to meet demand for the next couple of years. The Ace platform has produced about 12 offerings, based on engine type, engine power and body configurations for both goods and passenger carrier segments in last mile transportation. Tata Motors sells the Ace variants in about 1,600 showrooms across India.
