Tata Motors eyes developed countries with its low-cost EVs

Tata Motors has become a big player in India’s passenger car segment in recent years and is exploring global markets for further growth. In an interview with Indian business publication NDTV Profit recently, Shailesh Chandra said that the company has the ability to take its products global and is “actively looking into it.” Chandra is the Managing Director of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEM), both subsidiaries of Tata Motors like JLR.

Most of the electric vehicles in developed countries are sold above $30,000 (~€28,000). Right now what products you see in our portfolio is all less than $30,000 (~€28,000), all world-class products. And we are investing big time on tech, so I clearly see an opportunity.

Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility

Immediately after acknowledging the opportunity of low-cost EVs in developed countries, Chandra said that Tata Motors wouldn’t depend too much on them or consider them a key part of its strategy. The company is exercising caution because of trade barriers global markets have imposed, Chandra added. That was probably a reference to recent developments like the US quadrupling the tariff rate on China-made EVs and the EU imposing a countervailing duty on the same vehicle category.

When NDTV Profit pressed Tata Motors to confirm if the time has come for the company to go global, Chandra said the company is looking into the opportunity and hopes to finalise the international strategy in a few months. Currently, the Indian automaker sells the Tata Tiago.ev city car, Tata Punch.ev micro-SUV, Tata Tigor.ev small sedan, and the Tata Nexon.ev small SUV through TPEM. The prices of these EVs start at just ₹7,99,000 (€8,929), ₹10,98,999 (€12,282), ₹12,49,000 (€13,959), and ₹14,49,000 (€16,194), respectively.

Tata Motors plans to launch a Tata Curvv.ev small SUV-coupe and a Tata Harrier.ev compact SUV in the domestic market by March 2025. Between April 2025 and March 2026, the company intends to release the Tata Sierra.ev, an SUV slotted between the Tata Nexon.ev and the Tata Harrier.ev. It will launch the first production model from the Tata Avinya EV series also during that period.

Tata Motors could start selling EVs globally beginning with the Tata Avinya range, which will include SUVs and MPVs. These models will sit on a version of JLR’s advanced Electrified Modular Architecture (EMA) platform and they may offer far higher levels of performance, refinement, efficiency, and quality than any other Tata EV to date.

ndtvprofit.com (paywall) via ndtv.com, tatamotors.com