Tata Motors unveils sports car RACEMO, launch in 2018
Geneva: India's home-grown auto major Tata Motors today unveiled its first sports car, RACEMO, at the international motor show here.
Besides the two-seater sports coupe, the first product under the company's new sub-brand TAMO, the company is showcasing the special editions of its next generation product line-up in the compact segment -- sedan TIGOR and SUV NEXON.
"Symbolising the change that is taking place at Tata Motors, RACEMO is the proving ground of the TAMO family of vehicles and will drive the future of India's connected generation," Tata Motors CEO and MD Guenter Butschek told reporters here.
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He said the new sports car is part of efforts to position the company as a youthful brand, keeping in mind the changing demographic profile of car consumers in India as well as the globe.
"From styling and design to driver experience and technology, RACEMO is an extension of customers' personality as part of their digital ecosystem and will break the ice with a radical new presence and pique the interest in the parent brand," Butschek added.
The sports car to be sold under TAMO badge is expected to hit the market in 2017-18. It is powered by a rear-mounted 1.2 litre petrol engine delivering 190 PS of power.
RACEMO is built on a Tata Motors' patented MOFlex Multi-Material Sandwich (MMS) structure – a structural technology, enabling greater freedom in surface design, efficient large-scale part integration leading to modularity and faster time to market.
The new sports car was unveiled in the presence of Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata and its new Chairman N Chandrasekaran.
Tata Motors is hoping that the structure will "help bring in Indian market a product with increased exclusivity" .
The RACEMO is also a connected car equipped with features such as advanced navigation, predictive maintenance, remote monitoring and over-the-air updates using Microsoft cloud-based technologies including advanced analytics, Internet of things (IoT) and machine learning powered by Microsoft Azure.
Moreover, the company's technology partner Microsoft will also offer a video game, RACEMO+, on its Forza Horizon 3 video available on Xbox One and Windows 10 featuring the RACEMO.
Reiterating the significance of the new product in the company's strategy further, Butschek said, "We launched our sub-brand TAMO as our answer to new technologies, business models and partnerships. RACEMO is the first innovation from TAMO, and our emotional, unexpected leap to future."
The product offerings form the front-line in the passenger vehicle business to meet immediate customer demand in a highly competitive environment, the company said.
Unveiling the line-up here, Tata Motors President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Mayank Pareek said: "In line with our commitment of offering customer-centric products that are rich in design and features, we have embarked on a journey to make ourselves future-ready by focusing on changing customer preferences."
Denoting the company's IMPACT design philosophy, the TIGOR and NEXON boasts of best-in-class driving pleasure in their respective segments, he said.
"We have taken the excitement to the next level this year by showcasing special Geneva Editions of the TIGOR and the NEXON," Pareek said.
TIGOR will be in the Indian market in the next 22 days, he added.
Tata Motors has set a target to be among the top 3 players in the Indian passenger vehicles market by 2018-19. Its new strategy is based on the evaluation of different customer segments and global advancements in terms of design, technology and innovation.
From the humble Indica to a sports car, Tata Motors is marking its 20th year of participation at the Geneva International Motor Show with a leap of faith to future. The home-grown auto major has used the platform to showcase its several prototypes and concepts starting with the Indica in 1998 -- the company's first passenger car -- and the ill-fated Nano in 2008, among others.
— PTI
