Tata Motors adds Winger, Magic to stable

In a bid to expand its tumbling market share in the light passenger vehicle (LPV)segment which stood at 42.47% in May 2007 (as against 55% in May 2006), India's second largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, Tata Motors, today launched two new vehicles, the Magic and Winger, from its facility at Pimpri, Pune.

With prices starting at Rs 2.70 lakh for the Magic and Rs 4.70 lakh for the Winger, Tata Motors hopes to make a dent in the fortunes of three-wheeler passenger vehicles and the MUV segment in the country.

Speaking at the launch, P M Telang, executive director (commercial vehicles), Tata Motors said that with the two new vehicles, the company hopes to expand its volumes as well as market share in the respective segments. ''We have invested Rs 150-200 crore for each of these vehicles and have near 100% localization on both.''

The Magic, based on the Ace platform, has three seating configurations, while the Winger will be available in 11 models. ''The two have taken 18-24 months to develop,'' said Neeraj Srivastava, head (sales & marketing - buses).

Both the models will currently be assembled at the Pimpri facility, with the Magic heading to Uttaranchal, once the new facility commences operations. The Winger, based on the two generations old Renault Trafik, was developed after Tata Motors acquired the tooling and machinery from Renault's French facility for what Telang said was at a 'very good price'.

Both the vehicles will be launched in Maharashtra and Gujarat with subsequent launches across India.

The Magic is aimed at the rural market while the Winger will do intra-city duty. Both are powered by existing powertrains, with the Winger utilizing the 2.0-litre diesel engine from the Sumo.

When asked about the possibility of CNG options, the company said that such variants would be introduced in due course of time.

Tata Motors is rapidly expanding its product portfolio in the commercial vehicle segment. The year 2008 will see the launch of Tata's first global truck, that will roll out of Tata Daewoo's plant in South Korea, with an India launch six months later.

The Tatas also recently signed an agreement with Thonburi in Thailand for manufacture of pick-up trucks, and Fiat in Argentina to assemble the Tata Sprint pick-up.