JOIN USHomegrown auto major Tata Motors is looking to expand its exports to newer geographies, thanks to a not-so-encouraging demand scenario for commercial vehicles in the country.
“We are gradually expanding our export footprint... it’s still early days... we are seeing encouraging response to our products in many more countries. To a large extent, we will continue in the SAARC markets, but the new markets are in Africa, South America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Central America,” Tata Motors Senior Vice President (Commercial Vehicles, Product Strategy and Planning and Customer Value Creation) R Ramakrishnan told Deccan Herald.
Exports roughly constitute around 10 per cent of total Tata Motors commercial vehicle volumes currently. Earlier, the company had limitations on those countries where it could sell, due to constraints on product requirements and regulations in those particular markets. However, the company has, over time, developed a product range through which, it has been able to address more markets.
Asked if the company would look at a manufacturing facility in those geographies or whether it would look at assembly, Ramakrishnan said that Tata Motors is open to both options.
Meanwhile, Tata Motors has achieved a new feat in its last mile public transport portfolio by reaching the sales mark of three lakh units for Magic, its most popular public transport vehicle. Developed on the ACE platform, Tata Magic was introduced in June 2007 as India’s first small commercial four-wheeler in last mile public transport. The Magic family currently comprises of the Magic Diesel (BS3 & BS4), Magic CNG (BS4), Magic Iris Diesel (BS3 & BS4) and Magic Iris CNG (BS4). The Tata Magic is manufactured at the Pantnagar plant, which began its commercial production in August 2007.