Tata Motors Commercial Vehicle Division’s new intermediate and light commercial vehicle (ILCV), the Ultra truck range, was launched in Chennai recently. Showcased at Auto Expo in 2012, the Ultra trucks have been developed taking the customers central to the product development process and the learnings from the Starbus Ultra buses. The new Ultra offers superior technology and design that ensures low cost of operation and high driver comfort, leading to higher uptime and customized requirements.
Launching the all-new Ultra ILCV, Mr. Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicle Business, Tata Motors Ltd., said: “After the world-class launch of Prima trucks, we now introduce another global standard of trucks in the ILCV segment – the Ultra trucks. With stylish, futuristic and smart utility features, the Tata Ultra has been designed to fast track the consumer’s business growth and deliver a reliable, safe and comfortable vehicle with superior performance.”
At Tata Motors, he said, the core philosophy behind the launch of every new vehicle is an endeavor to modernise the Indian commercial vehicle industry. The Tata Ultra is a result of extensive feedback from customers and an immersive study into the lives of drivers to understand their expectations from their vehicles in the ILCV segment. “Keeping in mind the emerging customers, we have once again taken the pioneering step in India’s commercial vehicle industry by launching the Tata Ultra range of trucks”.
The Ultra launch in Chennai is only the second time that Tata Motors has done a national unveil in the South. “The Southern region, particularly Tamil Nadu, happens to be the largest region for the ICV segment and is the largest market for the 9 to 11 tonne segment. The customers in this region are more discerning for top-end and premium products, and this explains the reason why we believe this is the market for the national launch of the Ultra. We had the national launch of the Tata Ace in the South nine years ago and the product continues to top sales in SCVs. We are now doing it once again for the ICV segment”, added Mr. Pisharody.
Superior aggregates
The new range of Ultra trucks will come in several variants with payload capacity between of five and 15 tonnes in different stages. With its contemporary design, the Ultra range comes packed with new generation aggregates like the reliable Tata engine, gearbox and clutch and pioneering driver-centric features like disc brakes, radial tyres, spacious world-class cabin, suspended seats and HVAC option.
The truck brings in global design that matches aesthetics with enhanced comfort, fuel-efficiency and low cost of ownership to offer the best business proposition to the operators.
As for the interiors, the Tata Ultra range will come with a world-class hydraulic 45 degree tiltable cabin, which has been designed with elegant and stylish looks, with sufficient storage capacity and features like dash-mounted gear lever, air-condition provision and a new generation instrument cluster. It also comes with the strongest chassis in its class with bolted design for increased modularity. The range is equipped with disc brakes for increased safety and tubeless radial tyres (an industry first) for increased fuel efficiency, besides better road grip and gradual deflation in the event of puncture.
An enhanced power steering system with drooping characteristics enables vehicle stability at high speeds. The Tata Ultra also comes with a comfortable seating for three, front parabolic suspension for increased comfort, new generation head and tail lamps, integrated with LEDs, which is an industry first in the commercial vehicle segment.
Additional benefits
Highlighting the special features of the new Tata truck, Mr. R. Ramakrishnan, Senior Vice President (Commercial), CVBU, Tata Motors, observed: “Tata trucks have defined transportation and in a way the economy because transporters have actually been the backbone of the economy of the country. Today we are launching the 9 and the 11 tonne trucks. There are additional benefits that accrue, apart from the vehicle, on the Tata range. It comes with exceptionally high warranty of three lakhs or three years, whichever is earlier. These trucks have an oil change service interval of 40,000 kms, which means the truck is on the road more than the workshop and also cuts down the service expenses. The Tata Alert is a unique service program were any truck on the highway which is in need of help can contact this number, is attended to within 24 hours and is put back on road, irrespective of where it is. The Ultra also has a unique triple benefit insurance scheme and an annual maintenance contract which takes away the burden of repairing.”
Export business
Asked about the company’s export operations, Mr. Pisharody said: “Considering the global commercial vehicle brands, we are among the top three or four in buses and trucks worldwide. With the product range we have now we can definitely compete with most economies. We already have a fairly sizable export business. Our company currently exports 50,000 units, which we expect would reach 1,50,000, which is a three times growth, over a period of three to four years. This we expect to happen through our existing strong markets like South Asia and Africa. We have also introduced products in Indonesia and Australia last year and will be introducing them in Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam very soon. As a combination of becoming stronger in the existing market and growing in the new markets we believe we have a very exciting road map ahead for global business. Products like Prima, Ultra and Xenon pick-ups will help us achieve that.”
The company has been investing around Rs. 1,200-Rs. 1,400 crores each year for the development of new products with works on automated manual transmissions, which reduces driver fatigue and further improves fuel efficiency and anti-lock breaking systems are in progress.
The Tata Ultra 812 and Tata Ultra 912 are the first two models from the Ultra range which will be available across all authorised Tata Motors dealerships. The truck major has 1,200 sales points, 1,600 service stations and more than 20,000 retailers across the country.