Tata Motors today announced that it plans to increase its team of automotive research engineers at Warwick University by 100 to a total of 340.
Pictured: Tata Pixel
At the Tata Motors European Technical Centre (TMETC), the company’s engineers work alongside the university’s WMG (formerly the Warwick Manufacturing Group) on low carbon automotive technology design and development. The £85m invested in the project by Tata since the inception of the Centre in 2005 has already yielded results – namely the development of the Tata Pixel City Car and the Vista Electric Vehicle – the latter of which is to be built nearby the university in Coventry.
Dr Tim Leverton, head of advanced and product engineering at Tata Motors, said: “Today’s announcement represents a further demonstration of Tata’s long-term commitment to build and develop R&D facilities here in the UK. TMETC plays a vital role in Tata Motors global R&D network. Tata Motors gets access to world class thoughts, skills and technologies through the TMETC and its collaboration with WMG. The contribution of TMETC and WMG is important to Tata Motors product development”.
WMG director, Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, added: “Technology businesses such as Tata are crucial to us solving global challenges that will require new thinking energy, climate change related technologies. Tata’s work alongside WMG will meet those challenges and will even lead the field in new low carbon technologies. Tata’s Pixel concept city car is a clear symbol of Tata’s current technological prowess and its future aspirations.”
The Tata Motors Vista EV, is a fully-electric 4-seater family car with a 110 miles range and a top speed of 71 mph. It will be available to fleet customers in the UK from early summer this year.
Based on the Tata Nano, the Tata Pixel is a concept car aimed at the European market and features a Zero Turn Infinitely Variable Transmission which gives it a turning circle radius of just 2.6 metres, useful for driving in dense urban environments.
