Tata Motors’ small car Nano, which has struggled to live up to expectations, is about to turn a new chapter with city-based Jayem Automotives set to launch an electric version of the car under “Neo” brand.
The 48-volt “Neo” cars would be assembled and marketed by Jayem Auto. Its body shells and associated components are supplied by Tata Motors. The first batch of cars will be supplied shortly, Jayem Automotives Managing Director J Anand said in a statement.
Many automakers are joining the electric race and electric vehicles will soon become trend in India, he said.
The electric drive system of Neo is developed and supplied by Electra EV, a technology company which develops and produces electric drive systems. The car can run 150 km with air-conditioning on a single full charge. Commenting on the development, Tata Motors said it has “has supported Jayem Auto with body shells and associated components”.
“Tata Motors has plans to be a significant player in the electric vehicle market and plans to develop a series of products in passenger cars and commercial vehicles in the EV space,” it added. Nano, which was launched in 2008 with much expectations of being the people’s car, hasn’t been able to live up to the billing. It has become a loss-making model for Tata Motors at present. In 2010, Tata Motors had said it planned to launch an electric version of Nano to be sold in Europe.
PTI