Page 7 - Sands of Time Special Issue on Tata Motors Diamond Jubilee

6 VOL. XVII, ISSUE 2, 2020 VOL. XVII, ISSUE 2, 2020 7

n libERAliSATiOn AnD ThErEafTEr

On December 9, 1990 - industrial history was writ at the brilliantly In order to improve its tata Motors continued its market area expansion
decorated TELCO Stadium when the one millionth Tata vehicle was competitiveness, the organisation through the introduction of new products such as
ceremoniously released. The occasion was undoubtedly a landmark. entered foreign markets, buses (Starbus and Globus, jointly developed with
For TELCO had been propelled into the coveted position of being the fi rst expanding its operations to subsidiary Hispano Carrocera) and trucks (Novus,
and only automobile company in the Third World to have produced one international locations as well. jointly developed with subsidiary Tata Daewoo).
million vehicles. Daewoo, South Korea’s second Some of the notable vehicles and variants that
largest truck maker was acquired have been added to the portfolio of vehicles in the
in 2004. The christened Tata recent years include, the Tata Marcopolo’s New
Daewoo Commercial Vehicles Magna Luxury Coach in 2015, the Tata Starbus
Company launched several new Hybrid in 2017, the Xenon Yodha in 2017, the
products in the Korean market, next Generation Ultra Range of Trucks in 2018 w tata Starbus hybrid
while also exporting these w tata ultra electric Bus. and the most recent - the Signa 5525.S – India’s hispano Carrocera.
products to several international highest GCW prime mover (tractor) in the 4x2
markets. segment and Signa 4825.TK, India’s largest
tipper truck in 2020.
In September 2004, Tata Motors
became the fi rst company from
India’s automotive sector to be
w launch of tata Vehicles powered with w The millionth vehicle rolls out on listed on the New York Stock
Tata-Cummins Engines, 1996. December 9, 1990. Exchange.

Further, to satisfy world standard emission levels, TELCO signed an Expecting a big growth in the bus
agreement with Cummins to produce advanced diesel engines. market Tata Motors acquired a
stake in the reputed Spanish bus
and coach manufacturer Hispano
IN 1994, a Joint Venture The Company acquired 688 acres Carrocera of Spain in 2005. FROM THE
agreement was signed with of land for manufacturing Special Initially it acquired a 21% stake w Tata Magna Bus w tata Signa 4825. w Tata Xenon yodha.
Holset Engineering Co., UK to Purpose and Heavy vehicles and and fi nally the full ownership in Marcopolo Brazil.
produce turbo chargers to be Construction Equipment with 2009. In 2006, it formed a joint COLLECTION
fi tted on the Tata Cummins an initial investment of Rs. 425 venture with the Brazil–based
OF THE
engines. The year also marked crores. Marcopolo, a global leader in body
a signifi cant re-organisation of building for buses and coaches tata Motors association with the Defence Research and Development prerequisites of mobility, protection
the Company’s entire business The wave of liberalisation, to manufacture fully–built buses defence sector started in 1940 and Organisation (DRDO). The company and fi repower in association with
TATA CENTRAL ARCHIVES
focus and operations. TELCO privatisation and globalisation, and coaches for India and select continued to be of utmost priority has also developed the Light the Ordnance Factory Board.
was bifurcated into two Business which started sweeping India international markets. The plant for the company. In addition to Armoured Multi-role Vehicle However, in 2018 these operations
Units - the Automobile and the since the early 1990’s, gave at Dharwad was geared up to be a leading supplier of mobility (LAMV), a reconnaissance vehicle were hived off to Tata Advance
Construction Equipment - with TELCO a new direction. On anchor this product. solutions to the Indian Army, Navy, that combines vital operational Systems.
the objective to refl ect its main July 29, 2003 the company Air Force and various Paramilitary
business areas and to provide the changed its name to Tata Motors forces, the company also exports
necessary operating autonomy Limited on J.R.D.’s 99 birth its range of specialised Defence
th
for the units to operate anniversary. vehicles to various nations. The
effi ciently. company started looking towards
The company created a new the Combat vehicle space by
segment by launching the Tata focusing on development of
Ace, India’s fi rst indigenously contemporary state-of-the-art
developed mini one-tonne truck combat vehicle platforms (Tracked
in 2005. It began commercial w tata prima Daewoo. & Wheeled). It is the fi rst private
production of the Tata Ace and its sector OEM in India which has
variants at the newly established Also, in 2006, the company developed WhAP (Wheeled
Pantnagar, Uttarakhand plant entered into a Joint Venture with Armoured Amphibious Platform), an
in 2007. With the success of Thonburi Automotive Assembly Infantry Combat Vehicle, designed
the Tata Ace, the company Plant Company of Thailand to for optimised survivability, all
then launched the Tata Magic, manufacture and market the terrain performance and increased
developed on the Ace platform company’s pickup vehicles in lethality jointly with the Indian w ratan tata visited the exhibition “Know Your army” at Shivaji park Mumbai, 2004.
w tata aCe. and the Tata Winger, India’s only Thailand.
maxi van, in 2007.
With the increasing range in In keeping with its pioneering toDaY, the company’s ever-growing vehicle portfolio are years is a deep understanding of customer needs and the
products, the company felt the This was followed by two tradition, the company ushered marketed in several countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle ability to translate them into customer desired off erings
need to expand its operations new additions in the Small in a new era in the Indian East, South East Asia, South Asia and South America. It through leading edge R&D. The company’s Engineering
to yet another location in India. Commercial Vehicle segment with automobile industry in 2009 by has franchisee/joint venture assembly operations in Kenya, Research Centre, established in 1966, has enabled
Thus, was born the Dharwad the launch of the Tata Magic Iris unveiling its new range of world Bangladesh, Ukraine, Russia and Senegal. pioneering technologies and products. The company today
facility, TELCOs’ fourth in 1997. and the Tata Ace Zip in 2011. standard trucks – the Tata Prima has R&D centres in Pune, Jamshedpur, Lucknow, in India
Daewoo. The foundation of the company’s growth over the last 75 and in South Korea, Spain and the UK.

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