According to a senior corporate executive, Tata Motors intends to start producing electric cars at the Sanand facility, which it purchased from Ford India, in April of this year. Ford India sold the facility to Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd, a division of Tata Motors, in January of last year for Rs 725.7 crore.
"We intend to start producing electric vehicles at Sanand with Nexon EV in April," Shailesh Chandra, MD of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, stated to PTI. Versions of the Nexon powered by internal combustion engines are already being produced by the company at a manufacturing facility with an installed capacity of 3 lakh units annually.
It can be increased even more to 4.2 lakh units annually. According to Chandra, the company plans to use the facility to build future models. Speaking to reporters regarding the company's product roadmap, he stated that Curvv EV would be unveiled in the second or third quarter of this year.
"We are also hoping that by the fag-end of this year, we should also be able to introduce Harrier EV and internal combustion engine (ICE) version of Curvv," Chandra stated. Regarding the sales forecast for the upcoming fiscal year, he mentioned that a 5% growth in the passenger vehicle sector is anticipated.
"We have few launches planned, so we will be targeting to grow better than the industry," Chandra said. According to his wish list for the budget, adding FAME incentives for personal electric vehicles will contribute to hastening the nation's electrification drive.
Chandra observed that states like Maharashtra and Gujarat saw a rise in the sales of electric vehicles when they provided incentives to consumers. "Also, there is a problem of inverted duty structure in EVs that is also something that we have been asking," he said.
A US-based electric vehicle company, Chandra stated: "We simply do not worry about any particular competitor." We welcome any participant who is prepared to enter the EV market and is willing to make an initial investment in localization or the creation of charging infrastructure.
He went on to say, "We are not afraid of the competition...we are effectively dealing with the competition, all we seek is a level playing field".