Tata Motors plans to expand its range of commercial vehicles in Thailand with the launch in early 2011 of the Tata Ace, a cab-over-engine truck that will slot below its Xenon pickup model.
Tata Motors, which had signed up for the Thai government’s Eco-Car programme, has abandoned its passenger car strategy in Thailand for the moment due to the low potential sales volumes.
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The brand has stronger appeal in the commercial vehicle market where sales of the Xenon single-cab pickup truck are expected to have exceeded 5,000 units in 2010 – significant for a newly-established brand.
The Ace will debut at this month’s Motor Expo and is powered by a 4-cylinder, 1,405cc turbocharged diesel engine with an intercooler. It will be imported as a CBU model initially, but Tata has plans to assemble the model locally from 2012. Tata is targeting 400 sales per month once local assembly begins.
The model is likely to appeal to other ASEAN markets, including Indonesia, where the market for cab-over engine trucks is major and which is currently dominated by Japanese brands.
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