Tata Motors has announced that the production of electric vehicles at its Sanand based plant in Gujarat will commence in April 2024. The company will produce the Nexon electric at this plant, which Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd purchased the facility from Ford India for INR 725.7 crore in January last year. Speaking to PTI, Tata Motors MD Shailesh Chandra reveals that the company will introduce the Tata Curvv EV, ICE and Harrier EV in India in 2024.
He reveals that the Tata Curvv EV will be launched in our market around the second or third quarter of this calendar year. Mr. Chandra further reveals that Tata Motors is hoping to launch the Harrier EV and the internal combustion engine (ICE) version of Curvv by the fag-end of this year.
Tata Motors has already started production of ICE-powered versions of the Nexon at the Sanand plant. This production facility has a capacity of 3 lakh units per annum, which can be further expanded to 4.2 lakh units per annum. The company hopes that the Government will extend the FAME benefits to personal electric cars, which would help accelerate the growth of electrification in the country.
The Tata Curvv EV and the Harrier EV will be based on Tata’s Generation 2 EV architecture, called the Acti.ev platform. This platform currently underpins the newly launched Punch.ev. This architecture is compatible with differently sized vehicles and can offered FWD, RWD and AWD layouts. It is likely to come with a bigger battery pack, and is expected to offer a range of around 500km on a single charge.
The Tata Curvv EV will rival the likes of the MG ZS EV, Mahindra XUV400 and the upcoming Maruti Suzuki eVX and the Hyundai Creta EV. The ICE version will challenge the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Honda Elevate and VW Taigun. It is expected to be powered by a new 1.2L 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine that produces 125PS and 225Nm of torque. The engine could be paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The Tata Harrier EV has also been spotted testing multiple times on the Indian roads. This electric SUV is likely to receive a battery pack ranging from 50kWh to 60kWh. While the standard front-wheel-drive (FWD) system will be uniform across the model lineups, an optional dual-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) setup will be available.
