RAJKOT: The much-awaited Rs 1-lakh car from the Tata stables may roll out from Singur in West Bengal, but many critical components that will make the dream car vroom, including parts of the engine and gearbox, will be actually be made in this engineering hub at the other end of the country - Rajkot.
For, it will be Rs 100-crore Rajkot-based engineering firm Kadavani Forge Ltd (KFL) will supply 23 critical components for the dream car that is expected to roll out in the last quarter of 2008.
"Samples of the auto parts to be used in the gearbox and engine have already been submitted to Tata Motors Ltd (TML). The company's experts visited the plant to approve the components," said KFL chairman and managing director Kishor Kadavani, indicating the deal will rake in Rs 13 crore for his company. KFL will be supplying components for the car to Avtec, a C K Birla group company that will manufacture the engine for the car that is being pitched by the Tatas as a 'people's car'.
Kadavani says, "We will start supplying components to Avtec from February. TML experts will also monitor the production of the component from time to time. We will be supplying 1.10 lakh pieces of each component to begin with."
Jayant Jamuar, director (technical), KFL, said that around 27 per cent of the parts used for the dream car would be manufactured in Rajkot. These include vital components like internal transmission shaft, second and third gear, first speed driving gear and engine main shaft.
This, however, is not the first time that KFL will be supplying components to the Tatas. It already supplies six components for Tatas' mini truck—Ace. The company is also an approved supplier of forged components to auto giants like M&M, Ford, Fiat, JCB, Ashok Leyland, Eicher Motors, GM, Avtec, Magna Star and other companies in the UK, US, Germany and France.
Source :
Rs 1-lakh car's Rajkot connection-Ahmedabad-Cities-The Times of India