Homegrown auto major Tata Motors on Monday unveiled India's first bi-fuel Pickup vehicle with a 1-ton payload, alongside launching two other products in the small commercial vehicle (SCV) segment.
India's largest commercial vehicle maker is bullish on the pickup segment on the back of burgeoning delivery requirements of FMCG, e-commerce and logistics sectors in Asia's third largest economy.
With its first bi-fuel product Intra V20, Tata Motors expects to transition to alternative fuel vehicles in a bid to cut emissions. "I think the transition towards zero-emission vehicles is an irreversible trend. The only difference is, in India this transition is going to be through alternate fuels," said Tata Motors Executive Director Girish Wagh.
Auto experts were also optimistic about the company's path to low-emission vehicles.
"While ethanol blending is a good way to get to cleaner fuels, 10 to 15 years down the line I think there will be four to five fuels - including CNG, electric and hydrogen - in the market," said Som Kapoor, Partner, EY.
Also, since CNG-based alternative fuel vehicles have already addressed the need for a strong distribution network and proven a business case, they will continue to do well in the future, Kapoor added.
Others agreed.
The company, with this launch, is also looking to transition to electric mobility with the help of its upcoming new flexible vehicle architectures, said Vijay Lead Analyst at S-Ancial Technologies Pvt Ltd. "The new flexible modular platform will be cost-effective and offer flexibility," he said.
The new Yodha 2.0, Intra V20 bi-fuel and Intra V50 are ideal to service the diverse mobility needs of the fast-growing agriculture, poultry and dairy sectors, the company said in a statement. The bi-fuel vehicle, which has a payload capacity of 1,000 kg, gives a maximum range of 700 kilometres.
"This will give a lot of confidence to customers to do last-mile drives," said Rajesh Kaul, Vice president, Sales & Marketing, Commercial Vehicle Business, Tata Motors. It also makes a lot of business sense to customers, he told DH, citing the lower total cost of ownership.