Tata Africa aims to launch a fully electric commuter bus in South Africa “within the next few months”, says Tata Africa Holdings CEO Jacques Taylor.

The vehicle will be assembled locally, and will add to the MAN, Volvo and BYD electric buses already available in South Africa.

Taylor is positive that the recent surge in fuel prices owing to the Iran conflict have served to stimulate interest in electric vehicles not only worldwide, but also in South Africa.

Taylor spoke to Engineering News Online at a two-day Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles event held in Cape Town last week.

The India-based company showcased some of the products it is either ready to launch, or currently developing for markets worldwide.

Tata Motors last year split into two separate listed companies to unlock shareholder value – Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TM PV), and Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles (TM CV).

The distribution rights for TM PV vehicles lies with JSE-listed company Motus, while Tata Africa distributes TM CV vehicles in South Africa.

Taylor said last week that Tata Africa would also expand its electric offering within the next 12 months to include the small last-mile Ace Pro truck, which would also be assembled in South Africa.

A third electric product in the pipeline is an electric tipper truck specifically targeting the mining and construction industries.

Another product of interest should be the Xenon one-ton bakkie, which is set for a comeback following the exit of Tata passenger vehicles from the local market in 2019. (Passenger cars have since returned under the Motus banner.)

Taylor said the new Xenon range was currently being homologated, and that the goal was to start selling four models of the vehicle, double-cab included, in the local market from August onwards.

Assembly Operations Expanding
Tata Africa operates a commercial vehicle assembly plant in Rosslyn, Tshwane.

The group’s acquisition of Italian commercial vehicle giant Iveco – which was to be finalised later this year – would see Iveco end assembly at its Rosslyn plant, with all production to be merged at the Tata facility in June, noted Taylor.

This move pre-empted any merger talks, he added.

Tata Africa also assembles commercial vehicles in Kenya, with operations in Uganda and Tanzania to start by the end of the year.

TM CV CEO Girish Wagh said at the Cape Town event that the Iveco acquisition would see the Tata group emerge as the world’s fourth largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles over six tons.

Tata also owns the Daewoo truck brand, which is also assembled at the Rosslyn plant.

Wagh added that the group was seeking a fresh approach in Africa, which it had targeted as one of the globe’s few remaining growth markets.

Product Line-up
Tata’s forthcoming electric portfolio includes the Ace Pro EV zero-emission electric mini-truck built for last-mile deliveries; the Intra EV high-payload electric pickup engineered for urban cargo duty cycles; the Ultra E.9 light electric truck designed for intra city logistics; and the Prima E28.K electric tipper.

Internal combustion engine products either already available or in the pipeline include the Intra V30 and V70 pickup range; the Intra V30, with a higher payload of 1.95 t  and a 10 ft load body; the Azura 1918 intermediate and light duty truck; the Ultra Prime RE 10.8-m rear-engine midi bus; the LPO 1618 Magna 44-seater bus for staff and inter-city travel; the LP 909 9.3-m compact midi bus for school and staff transport; and the LPO 1623 Nova 49-seater bus designed for longer inter-city routes.