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Tata Motors (formerly TELCO) is India’s largest integrated
automobile manufacturing company founded in 1945. The agreement
between Tata Motors and MG Rover was inked in December 2002. Manufactured
at Tata Motors’ Pune plant, the CityRover will be marketed
through Rover’s wide dealer network in the UK and in continental
Europe.
Tata Motors executive director Dr Sumantran handed over the first
CityRover to MG Rover CEO Kevin Howe at its ceremonial roll-out
off the assembly-line at the Tata Motors plant in Pune.
MG Rover's Howe drove the CityRover at the Tata Motors factory
and expressed his pleasure with the car, “In order to effectively
meet the market requirements of the UK, we felt the need to introduce
a small car which would target the ‘city car sector’.
Tata Indica is a product of international standards that fits in
perfectly with our requirement as the basis for the CityRover. The
CityRover will help us open a new customer segment in the highly
competitive UK market," Howe adds.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sumantran said, "The Indica’s
success in the domestic market has been due to its strong value
proposition, and its emergence on the international automobile market
is a natural progression. The CityRover retains all the attributes
of the Indica which have made it one of India’s biggest successes,
while introducing into the car characteristics which are unique
to Rover and therefore suited to that brand and the driving environment
in the UK and Europe."
Tata Motors will continue to market the Tata branded Indica through
its existing network in Continental Europe. This agreement between
Tata Motors and MG Rover is being seen by the global automobile
industry as the coming of age of India’s automotive Industry
and is an affirmation of Tata Motors’ product development and
manufacturing expertise.
The CityRover is being positioned as an attractive modern ''city
car sector'' small car that provides the most competitive value-for-money
blend of space, performance and specification available in the £6,500-£8,500
price band. The ''city car'' sector of the overall European small
car market accounted for 1.1 million sales in 2002 and provides
a significant market for the CityRover.
The CityRover will be available in the UK and later in continental
Europe through the Rover dealer network in four versions, namely,
'Solo', 'Sprite', 'Select' and 'Style' to suit the lifestyle requirements
of its diverse customer base.
The CityRover models will be powered by a 1.4 litre petrol engine,
with an alloy cylinder head, single overhead camshaft and multi-point
fuel injection. It develops 85Ps at 5500rpm, and a solid 115Nm of
torque at 3000rpm and has a five-speed manual transmission. The
CityRover has an all-independent coil sprung suspension for excellent
ride and handling characteristics.
Tata Motors, has a wide product range of commercial vehicles, utility
vehicles and passenger cars. The company’s passenger car product
portfolio includes the luxurious Sports Utility Vehicle - Tata Safari,
the Sumo; and Spacio range of Utility Vehicles Tata Indigo, the
largest selling mid-size entry vehicle; and Tata Indica, India’s
indigenously developed compact car.
Internationally, the MG Rover Group sells cars in more than 65
markets. The company has wholly owned sales organisations throughout
major European markets, including the UK. The company engineers,
produces and markets cars, which carry the MG and Rover brands.
The MG Rover Group is owned by Phoenix Venture Holdings Limited,
a British-owned company. The company was formed following the purchase
of the Rover Group from BMW in May 2000. The total group had an
annual sales volume in excess of 150,000 units in the year 2002.
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