Tata launches Magic and Winger

Tata Motors has launched two new commercial vehicles, Magic and Winger, aimed at the small rural and urban passenger segment. Magic is the passenger version of the Tata Ace and the Winger is a maxi-van, a version of the Renault panel van Traffic. Said PM Telang, executive director, Tata Motors, commercial vehicles, “Tata Motors has always been at the forefront with its commitment to offer transportation solutions which will change the way India travels. The Magic and the Winger are our latest initiatives in that direction, and more will follow.”

Magic and Winger: Features

The Magic is a four-to-seven seater vehicle suitable for rural passengers. Like the Ace, the Magic is powered by a 16-horsepower, 700 cc diesel engine. According to Tata Motors, Magic meets BS III emission norms and is backed by a 36,000 km/12 month warranty.

The Winger, on the other hand, is a monocoque 9-13 seater, with front-facing seats, magazine pockets, bottle holders, and spot lamps. The Winger is powered by a 2-litre turbo charged diesel engine. Largely aimed at the urban passenger transportation segment, the Winger is suitable for intra-city travel and rural travel for staff vehicles, hotel and airport transfers, tourist usage, ambulance, and school vans.

The Winger meets BS-III emission norms, comes with a 1.5 lakh km/18-month warranty, and has 11 variants, in standard, deluxe and luxury. “We are targeting all segments of the market with these vehicles, the luxury, budget and comfort,” PM Telang, executive director, Tata Motors (commercial vehicle) is reported to have said.

Price range

The Tata Magic is priced at Rs 2.60 lakh (ex-showroom Pune).

The Tata Winger's prices start at Rs.4.70 lakhs (ex-showroom Pune) and go up to Rs 6.55 lakh for the luxury variant.

Phased launch

The Tata Magic and Winger will be launched nationwide in a phased manner, starting with Maharashtra and Gujarat. While the diesel versions of Tata Magic and Winger will be launched now, the CNG version of Magic will be launched by the end of the fiscal year.

Like the Tata Ace, both the Magic and the Winger are being positioned as new category creators. Says Shyam Mani, VP sales and marketing, Tata Motors (commercial vehicles), “We are creating a new segment since there is no seven-seater vehicle in this segment in the market. This is a three-wheeler dominated market and the situation is similar to that of the Tata Ace when it was launched. The Winger, as a monocoque nine-13 seater, is also a new segment.”

Tata Motors is expected to launch more bus products, such as the Globus and Starbus, later this year.

Manufacture and dealerships

The Tata Magic and Winger are being manufactured at the Pune plant but reports quote Telang as saying that the Magic may be moved to the Uttarakhand plant. The Tata Ace, which was launched one-and-a-half years ago, will also be assembled at the Uttarakhand plant, which has an annual capacity of 250,000 units.

The Winger and Magic will be sold through the existing chain of commercial vehicle dealerships but Tata Motors does not rule out the possibility of rolling out the product through its passenger car dealership chain, later.

Tata Ace is currently ruling the LCV market, with nearly 5000 units sold every month. In the last fiscal, 70,000 units of the Ace were sold. In 2006-2007, sales of commercial vehicles in the domestic market increased by 39 per cent to 2,98,586 units. The company's market share in commercial vehicles went up to 63.9 per cent from 61.2 per cent in 2005-06.