Tata Motors Introduces Diesel Mini- and Maxi-Vans

18 June 2007

The new Tata Magic.

Tata Motors has introduced two new diesel-powered products—the Magic and the Winger—as the first in a range that can span the requirements of both rural and urban areas in India.

The Magic is based on Tata’s ACE mini-truck platform (earlier post) and uses a two-cylinder, 16 hp (12 kW) 700cc diesel engine. The Magic meets BS-III (Bharat Stage III, comparable to Euro-3) emissions standards. (Earlier post.)

The Magic has a flexible seating capacity of 4 to 7 passengers, and can cover about 500 kilometers on a 30 liter tank of fuel (or, a rough average of 6L/100km).

The larger Winger seats 9 to 13 passengers, and is powered by a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine. The Winger has 11 variants, in three levels of comfort—standard, deluxe and luxury—and is BS-III compliant.

Tata is launching both Magic and Winger nationwide. Tata Motors is India’s largest vehicle manufacturer, with revenues of US$7.2 billion. Tata is the leader in commercial vehicles and the second-largest in passenger vehicles. It is also the world’s fifth-largest medium and heavy truck manufacturer and the second-largest heavy bus manufacturer.

Earlier this year, Tata signed an agreement with MDI (Moteur Developpment International) of France for the application in India of MDI’s compressed air engines. MDI has already applied its CAT (Compressed Air Technology) engine in a prototype city car, the MiniCAT. The agreement between Tata Motors and MDI envisages Tata’s supporting further development and refinement of the technology, and its application and licensing for India. (Earlier post.)

Tata Motors and Fiat Auto have formed an industrial joint venture in India to manufacture passenger cars, engines and transmissions for the Indian and overseas markets. The company already distributes Fiat-branded cars in India.