Tata Motors Expects Electric Vehicles To Account For 25% Of Its Sales In India By 2026

Automakers in Europe are moving fast towards electric mobility in order to catch the forthcoming ban on sales of ICE-powered vehicles. However, this doesn’t mean that automakers in other parts of the world are missing out on the new trend.

Tata Motors, for one, is expecting electric vehicles to account for 25 percent of its total sales in India in five years’ time. While this is not as impressive as other electrification strategies, it still represents a major step towards electric mobility.

Shailesh Chandra, president of Tata’s passenger vehicle unit, told Autocar India: “With EVs, we will be targeting a 25 percent penetration in our portfolio in the next five years”. This means that one in every four new vehicles sold by Tata is going to be electric. According to Chandra, this will be achieved thanks to the decreasing cost of EVs due to the batteries getting cheaper, and the increasing cost of ICE-powered vehicles due to the need to meet strict emission regulations.

The pictured Tigor EV launched in 2021, is Tata’s second fully electric model next to the Nexon EV.

Autocar India reports that Tata Motors is the current EV market leader in India, with an impressive 70 percent market share. Having said that, the local EV market is still too small for companies to invest in fully electric models.

The Tata Nexon EV unveiled in 2020 is the best-selling electric car in its home market, with over 2,000 orders per month – a significant growth from the 300 orders per month when it was launched. The B-SUV that is also available in gasoline and diesel variants was joined in 2021 by the Tigor EV, which is a budget-friendly B-Segment sedan.

The battery electric range of Tata is going to grow further in the next couple of years, with eight new EV model launches by 2025. However, all of them will be based on electrified versions of current platforms, as the company doesn’t plan on offering a dedicated EV architecture anytime soon.

According to Chandra, when battery prices allow it, Tata will consider creating a bespoke skateboard platform for EVs. This could potentially underpin large SUVs which are currently exclusively offered in ICE-powered form in India.