Tata Motors has introduced the Ace, a first of its kind small commercial truck. The Ace is a compact vehicle positioned between the three wheeler and the two-tonne pick-up truck segments, and has been introduced at INR225,000 (€3,750).
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Design and development was done in-house over four years at a cost of INR1.8 billion. The model is aimed at both rural and urban customers and is powered by a twin-cylinder 700cc, 16 bhp IDI diesel engine. Initial production capacity is 30,000 units a year but this can be doubled.
The Ace’s all-steel cabin meets the Indian safety standards for front and rear crashes and front disc brakes are standard. The vehicle’s fuel efficiency and tank size combine to give it a 500-kilometre (300-mile) range.
Tata Motors has adopted a ‘hub and spoke’ strategy for its commercial vehicle development. It began by producing large trucks, diversified into light commercials and later started making light pick-up trucks. Now the Ace will provide a last-mile distribution link in interior of India, where road infrastructure is poor.
Tata Motors also toyed with the idea of developing a passenger carrying version of the Ace to give Indian buyers a ‘INR100,000 (€1,666) car’ but that hasn’t yet made production.
Deepesh Rathore / Tilak Swarup
