A True Champion Of Industry: TATA Motors History

We step back in time to get an insight into how one of India’s most celebrated car brand’s evolved over the decades

The Tata Group is an industrial conglomerate that lies at the heart of India’s prosperity on the global business platform. For over two centuries, the Tata group of companies has pioneered multiple industries in India and elsewhere and it remains a market leader on several fronts.

One of the group’s most post prestigious brands is Tata Motors. While most of us are aware of Tata Motors passenger car division, the brand’s outreach stretches far beyond, within other avenues of the Indian automotive industry, be it with commercial vehicles or military vehicles. What was once a fledgling elusive car maker in India has today risen to compete against some of the world’s top automotive brands in recent years.

Overview

In the early years after its inception, Tata Motors became well known for its domestically-built commercial vehicles. During the mid-1950s a handful of automakers including, Tata Motors helped turn the industry around by producing its very first commercial vehicle. Past that point, there was no looking back. Fast forward to today and Tata Motors is one of the leading players in the Indian passenger space.

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This timeline will give you a glimpse of how the brand has evolved over several decades and how it has come to become one of the country's most trusted and dependable brands.

But this was obviously no easy feat. We step back in time to look at the myriad of products that the brand has introduced over time.

Tata Motors’ Early Days

From establishing the company in 1945

Image Source: Tata Motors

1945-1954

Tata Motors was established in 1945 and began its journey as a locomotive company.

Locomotives were the focus of Tata until 1954 until they entered into a collaboration with Daimler-Benz AG.

1977

For over two centuries, the Tata group of companies has pioneered multiple industries in India

Image Source: Tata Motors

Tata Motors manufactured its first commercial vehicle in 1977 and quickly became the top manufacturer in the domestic commercial vehicle market.

Tata Motors Passenger cars

Tata Sierra (1991)

We take a trip down memory lane and give you a brief history of Tata Motors

Image source: Youtube

– Tata Motors introduced their first LCV from TELCO (Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company) in 1988 called the Tata mobile 206 pickup truck.

– Tata Motors entered the passenger vehicle market in 1991 with the launch of the most popular car of that era, the Tata Sierra, a multi-utility vehicle.

– The Sierra was the first indigenous SUV built on Tata Mobile 206 pickup truck platform. The Sierra had a three-door design and was a rear-wheel-drive vehicle. It was offered with a 4WD option as well.

The Tata Sierra was powered by a 2.0-liter diesel engine that produced around 68 Hp of peak power. It also had a turbocharged variant which churned out close to 90 Hp of peak power.

Tata Sierra features

The Sierra featured :

– Electric power windows

Air conditioning
An adjustable steering wheel, and a tachometer (first in any Indian car).

Tata Estate station wagon (1992-2000)

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Tata Estate helped Tata Motors to become a renowned household name. The station wagon concept was reasonably new for Indian buyers when Tata introduced the Estate.

– The Estate Station wagon faced competition from the Hindustan Motors Ambassador station wagon and the extremely rare Premier Padmini Safari.

The Estate used a 1.9- litre diesel engine under the hood borrowed from Peugeot. The diesel mill paired with a 5-speed transmission produced around 67 Bhp of peak power and 118 Nm of peak torque.

Tata Estate Features

Power windows
Power steering
A tachometer, just like Sierra SUV.
The Estate could easily accommodate five passengers inside the cabin.

Tata Sumo

We look back at some of their most popular products, like the Sumo for instance

Generation 1 (1994)

– The Sumo was one of the first people-mover launched by Tata Motors in 1994. Within just three years of its launch, Tata Motors sold more than 1,00,000 units of the Sumo.

Tata Motors launched the Deluxe variant of the model in 1996 with a refreshed styling.

The Sumo+ variant was introduced in 2002 loaded with more refined features.

– The first generation Sumo used a 2.0 Litre diesel engine under the hood. The diesel mill produced around 63 ps of peak power and was paired to a five-speed gearbox.

Tata Sumo Victa Turbo DI (2007-2011)

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Sumo Victa by Joydeep Banerjee

Tata Motors introduced the Sumo Victa TDI in 2007, and it was available with a 7 and 9 seater option.

– The Sumo Victa TDI featured a completely new interior and a new instrument cluster with a tachometer and multifunctional instrument cluster.

Some other highlights included:

Power steering and windows
keyless entry.

Engine Option

– The Sumo Victa TDI used a 3.0 Litre TDI Turbocharged engine that produced around 70 PS of peak power at 3000 rpm and 223 Nm of torque at 2200 rpm.

Tata Sumo Grande Generation 3 (2008-2009)

Tata Motors launched the Sumo Grande alongside the Sumo Victa. Pitched as a premium MUV, the Sumo Grande underpinned a new platform.

Engine Option

The Sumo Grande used a 2.2 Litre diesel engine under the hood capable of churning about 120 bhp of peak power. The mark II Grande followed in 2009 with updated graphics.

Tata Sumo Gold (2011-2019)

The Sumo Gold was a next-generation update for the second-generation Sumo Victa TDI. A refined 3.0 Litre TDI unit performed duty under the hood.

Tata Sumo Grande (Movus) Generation 4 (2014-2016)

Tata Sumo Grande MK ll was rebranded as the Sumo Movus. It featured a 2.2-L VARICOR mill under the hood.

Tata Safari (1998)

You will be amazed to know the feats that Tata Motors has achieved so far

The Tata Safari was one of the most iconic cars in Indian automobile history after the Sierra and the Sumo,

First-generation (1998)

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Industrialist Ratan Tata on Telco at Auto Expo 1998, launching Tata Indica and Safari by WildFilmsIndia

– Tata introduced the first generation Safari at the 1998 Auto Expo. The captivating size of the SUV made it an instant hit amongst the buyers.

The first-gen safari used a 2.0 Litre turbocharged diesel engine sourced from Peugeot XD88. The diesel powertrain churned around 90 Hp of peak power and was paired to a five-speed gearbox. It had a 4WD option.

Second Generation Safari Dicor (2005)

Tata Motors introduced the Safari Dicor with cosmetic updates to the exterior and interior.

– The Safari Dicor used a 3.0 Litre turbo-diesel Dicor engine that produced around 116 BHP and 300NM of torque and was mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

Tata Safari Storme (2012)

– Tata Motors showcased the Safari Storme at the 11th Auto Expo based on Tata’s X2 platform.

It used a 2.2 Litre Varicor engine producing 150BHP and 320NM torque.

The various technologies that were introduced. Did you know how much torque the Varicor diesel unit produced?

– In 2015 Tata Safari Storme was fitted with an even more powerful 2.2 Litre Varicor 400 engine, producing 156BHP and an impressive 400NM of torque.

Tata Indica (1998)

Tata Motors rolled out the Indica in 1998, and it received a positive response from the people.

– The Indica promised decent fuel efficiency and featured a big and spacious interior.

– The hatchback used a 1.4-L petrol/diesel inline-four engine. The new powertrain was developed in-house by Tata Motors.

Tata Motors launched the Indica V2 with plenty of updates. It faced some tough competition from the Maruti Suzuki Alto and the Wagon R but still became a bestseller for the value it offered.

Tata introduced the Indica V2 with a turbocharged diesel engine in 2005.

Tata Indica Vista (2008-2015)

Tata Motors took the cover of the Vista at the 2008 Auto Expo.

The Indica Vista was not a facelift of the old car.

The Vista underpinned a new platform.

The Vista was offered with an option of two new Fiat engines. A 1.3 L Quadrajet common rail direct injection diesel engine producing about 75 Ps of peak power and 190 Nm of peak torque.

The 1.2 L Safire MPFI VVT petrol engine, on the other hand, produced around 65 Ps and 96 Nm of peak torque.

– With increasing completion and dwindling sales, Tata Motors pulled the plug on the Indica in 2018.

Tata Nano (2008-2018)

– The Nano may not have been a successful product for Tata Motors, but it made history, being the world’s most affordable passenger car.

The company implemented many strategies to keep the prices down.

Using just one windscreen wiper
Removal of airbags
Using a thinner and lighter spare tire
Fitting a single wing mirror instead of two
Using just three bolts for the wheels instead of four

The Tata Nano used a 624cc, twin-cylinder, SOHC petrol engine that produced around 37 Hp of peak power and 51 Nm of peak torque. The engine was paired to a four-speed manual gearbox.

The Tata Nano’s engine was positioned at the rear and powered the rear wheels.

– Tata Motor’s intention never was to earn money from the project but to provide a safer mode of transportation to the buyers at an affordable price.

Tata Aria (2010)

– Tata launched their first MPV crossover, the Aria, at the 2010 Auto Expo.

The Aria was the flagship offering from Tata Motors, which underpinned the Tata Xover platform.

The Tata Aria had many interesting new features:

– Steering mounted audio controls

Automatic climate control,
AC vents for all three rows
Infotainment system with Bluetooth connectivity.

The Aria used a 2.2 Di-cor engine under the hood that produced around 140bhp of peak power and 320Nm of peak torque.

Tata Aria Facelift (2014-2019)

– Tata Motors introduced the Aria Facelift with subtle changes on the exterior and interior. Tata Motors tweaked the engine to extract more power.

The facelift Aria produced around 147 Bhp (7 bhp more) and the same amount of torque.

Tata Bolt (2014)

Tata Motors came a long way from developing Indica to Bolt.

The Tata Bolt hatchback was a stepping stone for Tata Motors that helped them bring their A-game to the competitive Indian hatchback scene.

– Tata Motors showcased the Bolt at the 2014 Auto Expo, and it was the successor to the Tata Indica Vista.

The Bolt underpinned Tata’s newly developed X1 platform and adapted their new design formula known as ‘DESIGNEXT’.

Under the hood, the Bolt used a 1.2-Litre Turbocharged petrol engine.

– A turbocharger in an engine of this capacity was new at that time. The engine produced around 90 Ps and 140 Nm of peak torque (The Bolt made more power than the modern-day Tiago hatch).

The diesel variant of the Bolt, on the other hand, used a 1.3L Quadrajet 75 turbocharged diesel unit that produced around 75 Ps of peak power and 190 Nm of peak torque. Both the petrol and diesel engines were mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The Bolt later made way for the Altroz and the Tiago hatchback.

So these were some of the historic cars from Tata Motors stable since its inception in the passenger vehicle market.

Tata Motors Other Ventures

Tata Daewoo

To collaborting with brands like Daewoo and Daimler-Benz AG, we dwell deep into have the brand evolved over the decades

Image source: Youtube

Tata Motors Ltd. purchased South Korea’s Daewoo Commercial Vehicle in 2004. It was one of the first crucial foreign investments that Tata Motors made.

The purchase of Daewoo motors gave Tata Motors access to newer markets and technologies.

The Tata Daewoo product list includes the Tata Novus. The Novus is the first offering from the manufacturer after the collaboration.

Some other products from the commercial vehicle manufacturer included:

The Tata Daewoo Prime series
Tata Daewoo Maxen

Tata Hispano

Did you know that Tata Motors Motors manufactured its first commercial vehicle in 1977

Image source:Youtube

Tata Motors acquired control of Hispano in 2005. The Tata Hispano has its main manufacturing plant in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. Hispano had a second manufacturing plant in Casablanca, Morocco; combined.

The Tata Hispano has a production capacity of around 2000 units per year.

Tata Hispano currently produces its buses in India at their ACGL plant in Goa.

Jaguar Land Rover

So sit back and swipe up and head over to our post, which is essentially a timeline of the brand from the early days to where it is today.

Tata Motors made a bold move of purchasing the struggling British luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) by paying around 10,000 cr INR.

Tata Motors officials stated that Jaguar Land Rover, based in the United Kingdom, would help Tata to expand their reach in the global market while at the same time entering the luxurious and premium passenger vehicle segment.

Conclusion

All of us are well aware of the Tata Motors passenger car division, but not many of us know that the brands’ reach extends far beyond

Today, Tata Motors has a vast portfolio with everything from passenger cars to heavy vehicles and purpose-built defense vehicles. The brand is also one of the heavyweights when it comes to exports, sending Indian-made automobiles to countries across the world.