Tatas see 50% growth in truck exports this year

Tata Motors today said exports of commercial vehicles would grow 50 per cent to cross 15,000 units in this financial year.

The company also said it planned to launch Daewoo trucks by the middle of next year. Officials, however, clarified the projected growth in exports did not include exports from the Daewoo plant in Korea.

"We have pruned our target export markets from 70-80 countries to a dozen countries and started focusing on specific segments. We will not compete in a market where we cannot get a respectable market share," Ravi Kant, Vice-President (commercial vehicle unit), Tata Motors, said. He, however did not quantify the market share the company was looking at.

Kant said the company would invest substantially in enlarging its product portfolio and increasing productivity.

He also said the company might look at setting up a bus body assembly unit in South Africa, where it has bid for a taxi project. The company has already launched light commercial vehicles in South Africa.

"The Daewoo truck we are bringing by the middle of next year will be of 300-400 horse power," Kant said.

The company will focus on neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and also other markets like the Middle East, South Africa, Russia and Ukraine.