Tata Motors’ Avinya EVs will include EMA-based SUVs & MPVs
According to a new report from Autocar India citing Tata CCO Vivek Srivatsa, the Avinya EVs from Tata Motors will be available as a whole vehicle ‘family’, including various body styles. The majority of those products will be SUVs and MPVs. Since 2013, there has been a rumour in the local media that Tata Motors is working on a compact MPV like the VW Touran. Tata Motors never launched that model with an internal combustion engine, but maybe it is considering such an EV.
Tata Motors’ reputation as a premium auto brand in India’s compact vehicle space has skyrocketed in recent years, especially since the launch of the Nexon sub-compact SUV and the Harrier and Safari compact SUVs. It’s possible that the company is finally confident about launching a compact MPV as well, and that too one with electric power and priced much higher than the previously rumoured ICE model.
The EMA platform is likely to have different versions engineered for different vehicle segments and price points. For a price-sensitive market like India where Volkswagen Group had to re-engineer even the basic MQB A0 platform, it’s safe to assume that using the same platform that will underpin the upcoming Jaguar EVs would not be feasible. In fact, Tata Motors has indicated that the Avinya series EVs will be based on a more basic version of the EMA platform.
Ultra-fast charger support unlikely for Avinya EVs
EMA platform-based Jaguar EVs are expected to have a system voltage of around 800 volts, which means they will take advantage of ultra-fast chargers. During Tata Motors’ Q4 FY2022 earnings conference call Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Managing Director Shailesh Chandra said that the company is considering 300-400 V for Avinya. Chandra is the Managing Director of Tata Passenger Electric Mobility as well.
800-volt technologies will probably be too costly for Avinya EVs. Moreover, ultra-fast chargers are still rare in India and are not expected to become the new norm any time soon. In fact, India got its first ultra-fast charger just back in August 2022, courtesy of Kia. Thus, it makes sense why Tata Motors is leaning more towards 300-400 volts for Avinya EVs.
Even though based on a relatively basic version of the EMA platform, the Avinya EVs will be considerably more sophisticated than Tata Motors’ existing EVs. During Tata Motors’ Q2 FY2024 earnings conference call, Chandra said that Tata Motors will launch “a very premium electric SUV” based on the EMA platform.
Will Avinya be a brand or a sub-brand?
Tata Motors has said that it will launch an Avinya series of EVs, including models based on JLR’s EMA platform, but it hasn’t disclosed if Avinya will be a new marque or a sub-brand. Keeping Avinya a separate brand may allow Tata Motors to strongly emphasize its different (premium) positioning compared to its existing EVs, which it markets under the Tata.ev brand. While the Tiago.ev, Tigor.ev, Punch.ev, and Nexon.ev are derivatives of ICE models, Avinya products will be designed and engineered from the ground up to be EVs.
The first road-ready Avinya EV will debut in 2025, and it could be the production version of the concept Tata Motors unveiled in April 2022. The company said that the show car combines the luxury and versatility of an SUV with the roominess and functionality of an MPV. The futuristic design study is deceptively long, as it measures only 4.3 metres in length. A similar size for the production version would be perfect for India’s narrow streets.
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