Tata Motors to invest 50m.pounds on UK’s R&D base

Tata has recently developed the Pixel city car, which the company is targeting at European drivers. The automotive maker plans to hire 100 new engineers at the Tata Motors’ European Technical Centre (TMETC), boosting the workforce by more than 40 per cent to 340, as the company steps up its focus on low-carbon technologies. TMETC […]

Tata has recently developed the Pixel city car, which the company is targeting at European drivers.

The automotive maker plans to hire 100 new engineers at the Tata Motors’ European Technical Centre (TMETC), boosting the workforce by more than 40 per cent to 340, as the company steps up its focus on low-carbon technologies.

TMETC has developed Tata’s Vista electric vehicle and the Pixel city car, which the company is targeting at European drivers.

The centre is based at the University of Warwick and is operated in partnership with WMG, formerly known as the Warwick Manufacturing Group. Tata has invested 85 million pounds since founding TMETC in 2005.

Tim Leverton, head of advanced and product engineering at Tata Motors, said. “This announcement represents a further demonstration of Tata’s long-term commitment to build and develop R&D facilities here in the UK”.

Meanwhile, Adil Jal Darukhanawala, an analyst has said that Tata Motors is getting there, towards its definitive European city car if its Nano-based Pixel concept is anything to go.

According to him, it had all the cues one can think of given its concept car status: clean organic exteriors (perfected in the wind-tunnel) with de rigeur expanse of glazed surfaces all round, stylized windows on the large scissor-type doors (if ever there is a concept car statement detail, it has to be this), minimalist interiors packed with funky details to make the cabin a fun place to be in for the iPad totting world and the picture it painted was just perfect.

‘’So much for the beauty aspect because underneath that light alloy skin lays ample tech to sock many an environmentalist and bureaucrat and yes, many skeptics as well, who doubted how Tata Motors could go about meeting the emissions and fuel efficiency challenges of the very near future.

‘’The Tata Pixel concept is of course based on the firm’s tiny wonder, the Nano and it takes the theme espoused by the Nano Europa seen at Geneva in 2010 to another rung up the ladder. It is an idea demonstrator for Europe because that is where Tata Motors genuinely wants to position its up market Nano variants and judging by the numbers attributed to the concept vehicle at Geneva, it surely does have enough to satiate many on the continent who want more than just “the most package-efficient four-seater in the world.”

‘’Riding on large 16-inch alloys shod with 215/45-R16 low resistance tyres, the Pixel has a good form and poise which thanks to the use of the scissor-type doors also adds a touch of the dramatic to the ensemble. Surely at Geneva in concept car format, it held on well but seriously these would be the first to go on the series production variants, both from a cost and usability perspective’’.

An all new development of the firm’s larger 1.2-litre three-cylinder diesel engine (yet in the test phase) has seen it get a turbocharger to spool up both response as well as deliver adequate power and torque to make for a zippy performer.

He said that the engine has a host of modern day technologies including a stop-start micro hybrid system to enable it to get up to operating temperatures quickly because it is at cold start-ups where the pollution levels are at their maximum.

According to him, a new design variable coolant and oil pump is employed as are other rapid warm-up technologies and while power and torque match those in class (75PS@4200rpm and 200Nm of torque at 2000rpm).

‘’ Tata Motors claims CO2 emissions of under 89g/km, making this one of the lowest among any fossil fueled cars there are today while in the European drive cycle it consumes low sulphur diesel at the rate of just 3.4-litres per 100 kilometres! What is to be noted is that it is basically a simple configuration laid out in a most logical configuration and with just the right blend of affordable high tech to enable the Pixel to attain its objectives’’.