[dZired]

Tata Motors has joined hands with Jayem Automotives to form a joint venture company named JT Special Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. under a 50:50 partnership. This new company will be working towards development of performance vehicles and will offer a range of niche products to customers.

Tata Motors and Jayem Automotives will be working together to develop a range of performance vehicles in a phased manner. JT Special Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. will be given its own dedicated production line, which is likely to be set up in Coimbatore. All production cycle processes, including design, precision machining, assembly and testing will be done under a single roof.

Interestingly, this isn't the first time that these two companies are working together. JA Motorsports, which is a racing and rallying subsidiary of Jayem Automotives, had earlier designed and engineered a 230 BHP Super Nano, which was showcased at the Autocar Performance Show in 2014 (related post).

Link to Team-BHP News

[arjab]

Very good. Step in the right direction to inject the much needed "desirability" quotient in Tata cars.
JAYEM has immense engineering depth, bandwidth and talent to put out some really nicely fettled vehicles.

The million rupee question remains: will the car buying - kitna deti hain junta mature a bit and bite? Or else it be a slow and long haul for TML as it will have to sell to the miniscule enthusiast populace.
Let's wait and watch !

Related Link:
http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...es-404576.aspx

[carfreak]

Even before the nano, the 2 firms had jointly developed an Indica zero car. I think it was developed only for track use. I remember, back then, hoping some how Tata Motors would get it into production.

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by arjab

...
The million rupee question remains: will the car buying - kitna deti hain junta mature a bit and bite ?
...

Forgive me, but expecting a vehicle to be fuel efficient is immature ?

Just wondering, in all of Indian "motorsport", limited as it is, has a privateer ever taken a TATA vehicle & entered it into a track or rally event ?

To the TATA-Apologists, not wanting to argue here, haven't seen an Indica screaming around a track or an Indigo raucously sliding through a rally stage, hence, just curious...

[RSR]

Fantastic news! Jayem Automotives has what it takes to churn out very sporty versions of existing Tata cars.

If this JV manages to live up to its full potential, then JT can become to Tata what Alpina is to BMW!

[safari_lover]

According to Autocar,

The company will first modify the newly introduced Tigor and the popular Tiago. The Tata Nexon is likely to be next. The focus will be on the petrol engines initially and power is likely to be bumped up to 90-95hp, from the current 85hp (Tigor and Tiago). Interestingly, raising power output to 110hp could be the next step. The suspension will also be tuned to make the cars sportier. The ground clearance could be lowered, springs will be made stiffer and dampers will gain a sportier edge as well. Visual upgrades are likely to include a spoiler and a sportier grille. Bumpers are also expected to be tweaked at a later stage. The modified vehicles, which will be assembled in Coimbatore, could cost anywhere between Rs 60,000 or Rs 1,00,000 lakh more than the standard car.

So that Tiago sports doesn't look so far fetched after all. Perhaps, they can name it Tiago JT

[Durango Dude]

I think Tata would be better of concentrating on the quality, reliability and after sales service aspect than this 'performance testing' on it's clients. One more thing stop putting a 1 liter diesel engine in a car weighing more than 1 tonne. Why create puny engines and then look to some one else to bump up the power: they should have done it themselves in the first place! Achilles heel of the Tiago/Tigor brigade is their pair of underwhelming engines.

For performance you look to JLR.

[skandyhere]

This is exciting news. I've been wanting to buy a simple, cheap, back-to-basics petrol car that can give me 'that' connection to the road in ways that the MX-5 Miata is famously known for, but haven't been impressed beyond a 'hmm... nice' with any car on sale in India today. I also reserve a soft corner for Tata in my heart and was recently disappointed looking at Tata's watering down their Revotron engine to a shaky, vibrating 3 cylinders. One test drive of the petrol Tiago a month ago and I muttered unhappily that it was unlikely that I'd buy a Tata any time soon. And here comes this! I'm really hoping that I would find an honestly priced 4-cylinder free revving petrol (well, I'll admit that at this point, I'm probably fantasizing delusionally) from Tata.

Now, back from my flight of fantasy, could this mean anything at all from a fundamental engine development perspective, or does Jayem only tune and tweak?

[Latheesh]

This is the Super Nano they developed few years back!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6DeAfGmr6Y

[abhishek46]

We have got the Indian equivalent of the AMG now!

I hope these modified cars are tested thoroughly, by TML before sales begin.
Secondly, looks like warranty issues arising out of modifications will not be an issue in this case.

[Durango Dude]

If and when it really succeeds, Tata will be the 'start up' and Maruti will seize the opportunity and make it a success just like the Indigo and Dzire!

[RSR]

I do hope JT don't go overboard by building impractical everyday cars out of the Tatas they're going to modify!

Tatas are meant to be practical, comfortable, user-friendly everyday cars that can take all kinds of road conditions in their stride. JT modified Tata cars should add a big dose of sportiness to them, but should not make them impractical!

I, for one, wouldn't want the suspension set-up to become rock hard in the name of sporty handling. Nor should they lower the GC too much and put in ridiculously low profile tyres and massive front/side/rear skirts.

A slightly modified suspension with altered spring & damper settings, ~ 5 mm lower GC, wider tyres with a practical profile and small, tasteful body skirts all around would do fine. The steering can be made quicker and more direct, but shouldn't become too heavy.

Brakes can be upgraded with larger discs and discs at the rear as well. Safety should be a priority with every JT modified car getting 2 airbags and ABS standard. ESP and/or additional airbags would be a good inclusion.

Additional power for the engines is great, but it should be usable over a wide powerband with a good midrange, instead of being concentrated only at the top end. And I hope they concentrate on the petrol engines!

[phamilyman]

I think this is where Tata motors need to stop running helter skelter and take a cold hard look at their operations. What do their vehicles lack? A minor bit of polish on the interiors (which are now at par with the industry) and a solid push in the market to assure customers about their vehicles reliability (the single reason why I didnt even step into a tata showroom in my ongoing purchase).

If they don't recover market share, then all of this is a waste of time.

All of this is good when the going is good, but when market share is embarrassingly low especially with a car as good as the Tiago, they need to focus on the core issues than invest energy in other initiatives.

[arjab]

Originally Posted by im_srini

To the TATA-Apologists, not wanting to argue here, haven't seen an Indica screaming around a track or an Indigo raucously sliding through a rally stage, hence, just curious...

Long, long time ago - if my ageing memory recalls correctly, an Indica, (old Indica that is, in a lurid yellow colour), was prepped up and used as "sweeper" car or as it was known at that time "0" i.e. "zero" car in some rallies in India.
I think it was driven by Hormazd Sorabjee (the current Ed of Autocar India). Recently also i think attempts were made to rally prep a BOLT and use it as a "zero" car.
But you are right, privateers have not touched any Tata hatchback model as their preferred choice in rallies.
By the way, did Desert Storm or Raid De Himalaya see any Safari's trotting around?

[GTO]

Extremely happy with the news ! Hopefully, this will bring some more fun-to-drive cars in affordable price brackets & boost Tata's image too.

Originally Posted by arjab

The million rupee question remains: will the car buying - kitna deti hain junta mature a bit and bite?

The numbers will be small & Tata knows that. It's more of an image-enhancing exercise. Plus, the profit margins on these kind of cars are usually much fatter.

In a crowded market-place, every manufacturer has to do something different to stand out; that's why I appreciate this partnership with Jayem.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

I think Tata would be better of concentrating on the quality, reliability and after sales service aspect than this 'performance testing' on it's clients.

they need to focus on the core issues than invest energy in other initiatives.

I think they can do both; why either or? One of the reasons that Jayem has been brought onboard is because of their talent, thus I don't see any bandwidth issues at Tata HQ.

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Secondly, looks like warranty issues arising out of modifications will not be an issue in this case.

We can safely assume it will be the same as any other souped up car from the factory. The warranty will cover their own modifications, but not what you get done from the after-market (and logically so).

Originally Posted by RSR

I do hope JT don't go overboard by building impractical everyday cars out of the Tatas they're going to modify!

I, for one, wouldn't want the suspension set-up to become rock hard in the name of sporty handling. Nor should they lower the GC too much and put in ridiculously low profile tyres and massive front/side/rear skirts.

Let's see what they have lined up first before commenting. But either ways, if you want something comfortable, you can always buy the stock car.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

All of this is good when the going is good, but when market share is embarrassingly low especially with a car as good as the Tiago

For a car from a damaged brand, the Tiago is actually managing very healthy volumes (~5,000 / month).