Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) Indian automobile major Tata Motors Thursday unveiled a new variant of its Safari sports utility vehicle (SUV) Safari, the Ultra commercial vehicle and a slew of concept cars on the first day of the 11th Auto Expo here.

However, the company did not divulge the prices of the vehicles, and said they will be launched in 2012-13.

The new Safari Storme is powered by 2.2 litre 16-valve common rail engine coupled with a five-speed manual transmission. Electronic shift-on-the-fly enables shifting from 2WD to 4WD even on the move.

“With the Safari Storme, the iconic Safari becomes a contemporary SUV suited to the desires of today’s SUV lovers,” Tata Motors’ managing director (India operations) P.M. Telang said.

The light commercial vehicle (LCV) Ultra is powered by a 16-valve diesel engine and variants can carry payloads from five to 14 tonnes.

It also unveiled a five-axle truck, LPT 3723, powered by a Cummins 6BT 5.9L engine which produces 154 kilowatt of power at 2,500 rpm, coupled with a nine-speed gearbox.

“The Ultra range and the LPT 3723 will create new segments and generate higher incomes for their owners,” Telang said.

The company also displayed various alternate fuel vehicles, like compressed natural gas (CNG) powered Nano, Indigo Manza diesel-electric hybrid, Starbus fuel cell concept that has been developed with support from the department of scientific and industrial research and the Magic Iris CNG.

Also on display was the diesel-powered Pixel three-seater passenger concept car.

Tata Motor Group company Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) showcased four new models, including Defender concept models, and super sports cars Jaguar C-X16 and C-X75.

The Defender Concept 100 and Defender Concept 100 Sport feature next generation of terrain response system which optimises the car for any conditions without driver’s pre-selection. The terrain-i system creates an intelligent map of the topography in front of the car and displays it as a 3D visualisation.

“We are here in India to showcase the Defender Concept 100 and Defender Concept 100 Sport. The Defender has always been at the heart of the Land Rover Brand and single-handedly defines our go-anywhere, can-do sprit,” Land Rover’s global brand director John Edwards said.

Jaguar showcased C-X16, which can sprint from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds and C-X75 supercar concept.

“C-X16 draws inspiration from both our sporting qualities and our current leading-edge research into future powertrain technologies and consequently delivers an irresistible proposition on both emotional and rational levels,” said Adrian Hallmark, global brand director, Jaguar.

JLR became a part of Tata Motors in 2008, after it bought the company from American car manufacture Ford.

The Auto Expo will conclude Jan 11.