Tata Motors to launch 10 new EVs by 2025, Jaguar to be fully electric, says Chandrasekaran

On Monday, June 28, N Chandrasekaran, Tata Motors Chairman, announced their plan to have 10 new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by 2025 in its domestic portfolio looks to drive its business model towards sustainable mobility going ahead. 

Tata Motors is geared to bring about the shift from business model oriented to sustainable mobility and motivate the consumers to adopt it at the earliest. 

Chandrasekaran's message to shareholders

In the company's Annual Report for 2020-21 in India, Chandrasekaran said to his shareholders that it is exploring tie-ups in cell and battery manufacturing to secure supplies for its portfolio of green vehicles as the auto major aims to be amongst the world leaders in sustainable mobility solutions. 

He informed, "EV penetration in our portfolio has now doubled to 2 per cent this year and we expect penetration to increase exponentially in the coming years. Tata Motors will lead this change in the Indian market. By 2025, Tata Motors will have 10 new BEV vehicles and as a Group, we will invest proactively to set up charging infrastructure across the country".

He added that the Tata Group is actively exploring India and Europe's partnerships in cell and battery manufacturing to secure Tata's supplies of batteries.

Tata motors vision

Chandrasekaran informed, "We are also evaluating an automotive software and engineering vertical within the Group that will help us lead in a new world of connected and autonomous vehicles".

He further said that its time to shift from business model to sustainable mobility is well accepted by the Mumbai-headquartered firm, and the Tata Group will move forward with speed and scale to seize to make it a reality soon and proactively bring the change in consumer behaviour in India and beyond. 

Tata Motors Group is in the process of pivoting its underlying business model towards sustainable mobility. Jaguar Land Rover is targeting 100 per cent zero tailpipe emissions for the portfolio it sells by 2036.

The planned changes 

By 2025 Jaguar will become fully electric and by 2030, 60 per cent of Jaguar Land Rover's volumes will be pure BEV vehicles.

Chandrasekaran added, "Globally, greater emphasis and scrutiny will be placed on building environmental sustainability and climate resilience into the very core of business models. To address and leverage these megatrends, we plan to make sustainable business models a bedrock of our strategy".

He further added that though India is home to many large and diverse conglomerate based in India, Tata Motors is uniquely positioned for this leadership with a global footprint. 

He said, "Our companies are present in 150 countries, we employ over 750,000 people and touch the lives of 650 million consumers. I will be the first to say that we have a long journey ahead of us. But we are clear that this is the right journey we must undertake and have begun with pushing targets forward".

Since the launch of Nexon EV last year, the auto major has sold over 4,000 units of the same. To fleet operators, Tata Motors also sells Tigor compact sedan. 

COVID pandemic impact on the Group

On the severity of the pandemic, Chandrashekaran commented that the impact of the COVID pandemic will gradually decline as more people get vaccinated.

He added, "We expect demand to remain strong with consumer preferences shifting further towards personal mobility. However, the supply situation is expected to be adversely impacted for the next few months due to disruptions from COVID-19 lockdowns in India and semiconductor shortages worldwide".

The current year might see a gradual improvement due to the pandemic, he noted. 

Chandrasekaran informed, "The business has demonstrated steadfast resilience in the face of adversity last year and has strengthened its fundamentals. This track record gives me the confidence that the business will continue to build on its turnaround last year and deliver an even stronger performance in the coming years".

In the 2020-21 fiscal year, the company reported its highest-ever annual sales in eight years in the passenger vehicles segment helping its market share to grow to 8.2 per cent. 

(Image credit: PTI)