Tata Motors enters racing car space with Tiago, Tigor variants under JTP brand

Coimbatore: Tata Motors is making a bold marketing move to grab more mind and wallet shares of the youth by tapping the ‘white-space’ of racing cars in association with a Tamil Nadu firm, under which they have launched the ‘accessible performance’ variants of Tiago and Tigor. Branded as Tiago JTP and Tigor JTP, these performance cars are built at Tata Motors’ Sanand plant, with engineering and technical partnership with Jayem Automotives, which has recalibrated the engines to enhance the output and performance, Tata Motors said here on Friday. The new cars, bookings for which are open now and deliveries begin next month, come with an introductory price tag of Rs 6.39 lakh for the hatchback Tiago JTP and Rs 7.49 lakh for sedan Tigor JTP (both ex-showroom, New Delhi). In comparison, the top-end Tiago comes at Rs 5.5 lakh and the top model of the Tigor carries a price tag of Rs 6.5 lakh, the company said. [caption id=“attachment_4336827” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters.[/caption] In fact, this is a white-space in the domestic automotive market as there is no racing car OEM now as the models available are “aftermarket accessorisation”, it added. In March 2017, Tata Motors and the Coimbatore-based Jayem Automotives had formed an equal joint venture called JT Special Vehicles to offer the JTP (Jayem-Tata Performance) brand of performance vehicles in their bid to create a range of accessible racing cars. Mayank Pareek, president, passenger vehicles division, Tata Motors, told PTI that the objective is not to make money immediately or eye volumes. “JTP is not a product programme but more of a marketing programme. We are sure it will lend a huge support to the main Tata Motors brands. What we want is to create a range of accessible race cars, which can be used for daily commute as well, thus the focus on accessibility. “But what we are doing under this JV is offering ready-to-drive performance vehicles unlike the present system of getting it retrofitted and recalibreated by third-parties,” he said. Launching the new cars here, Tata Motors managing director and chief executive Guenter Butschek said this is the company’s first attempt at decommoditise car purchase by bringing in accessible racing cars. When asked about marketing the cars, Pareek said they have already identified 30 dealerships across the country for sales and marketing. “Jayem is known for its engineering prowess and they will recalibrate the engines, which are 1.2-litre turbocharged new generation Revotron petrol powertrains. Jayem is also known for its phototyping designs and concepts,” he said. Asked about the performance car market, Pareek said there is no ready-made market per se and thus no competition to begin with. “But look at the compact SUV space today. A few years ago this was zero. But today, it is as big as 20 per cent of the total car volumes. So, there is a large market to be created. And we hope to do that with JTP and hope the JTP cars also makes a halo effect on the main Tiago and Tigor brands, he said. The Tiago JTP and Tigor JTP are powered with the 1.2 litre turbocharged new generation Revotron petrol engine, which are re-engineered to deliver 114 PS power and 150 Nm torque and will be enabled to drive in multi-dirve mode and can attain 0-100 kmph in flat 10 seconds. JT Special Vehicles chief executive Gubbi Nagbhushan said these cars basically offer three key benefits - sporty exterior and interiors, enhanced engine output and performance; and improved driving dynamics and aural experience. He said noted F1 racer Narain Karthikeyan and national award winning racer J Anand and other racers have been on board from the planning to execution level with him. The cars come with better torque as the powertrain is enhanced, and better suspension and sound with double barrel exhaust giving the special sound. Pareek said customers can book these cars from Friday at select 30 Tata Motors dealerships with a down payment of Rs 11,000 and deliveries from next month. The select dealerships are in Kolkata, Delhi, Gurugram, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kannur, Thrissur, and Kochi.