Friday, March 9, 2012

Electric Tatas in Geneva

From India's Economic Times:
Geneva Auto Show: Tata Motors' compact concept car 'Megapixel'
 At the Geneva Motor Show, Ratan Tata and his successor to the Tata empire, Cyrus Mistry, took the wraps off Tata Motors' latest concept car, the Megapixel, which showcases the company's plans to enter the European market in a big way

Designing a compact car to take on the challenges of the urban jungle of future Europe seems to have become the Holy Grail of motoring at the moment for many-an-automaker around the world, chief of which is our very own Tata Motors.

As the largest auto maker in South Asia (that is, if you factor in the sheer volumes of commercial vehicles the company makes as well), making a foray into the west is inevitable, and Tata Motors isn't one to sit content with just purchasing an iconic European brand (read Jaguar Land Rover)....MORE


From Fox:
Tata Megapixel is India's take on the Chevy Volt

If imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery then the Chevy Volt appears to have some fans…in India

Tata Motors -- Indian parent company of Jaguar/Land Rover and builder of the world’s cheapest car, the sub-$3,000 Nano -- has unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show a range-extended electric vehicle that’s similar in concept to the American compact, but on a much smaller scale.

The Megapixel is an 11.5-foot long microcar powered by four electric motors, one in each wheel. They primarily draw their power from a 13 KwH battery pack, which offers a range of 54 miles per charge. Combined the motors provide a muscle car-like 369 lb-ft of torque, but the car’s top speed is just 68 mph.
For longer trips, it also has a small, 325cc single-cylinder engine that works like a generator when the battery runs out of useable charge. According to Tata, it provides over 500 miles of added range between plug-ins....MORE