Tata Xenon 1-ton pickup launched at Bangkok Motor Show

30 March, 2008

Tata Motors unveiled its Xenon 1-ton pickup at the Bangkok International Motor Show.

Tata Xenon launched in India - click here!

The Tata Xenon is a Thai-made vehicle developed and built in Thailand, specifically keeping the Thai customers in mind. The Tata Xenon has been designed in England and features a German-developed 2.2-litre direct-injection, common-rail engine. The Xenon will be available in double-cab and single-cab versions. Both models come with the 2.2-liter DICOR common-rail engine with VTT and intercooler, as well as 32-bit ECU to produce 140 horsepower and 320Nm of torque from 1,700-2,700rpm, as well as excellent fuel economy.

The Tata Xenon boasts of a body built using 0.8- to 1.55-millimetre-thick steel sheets. To be sold for for 539,000 to 629,000 baht which would translate to US$17,111 to US$19,968, the Xenon trucks are expected to find a good market in Thailand where 1-ton trucks have traditionally accounted for more than 60 per cent of domestic vehicle sales.

Tata Motors had set up its Thai subsidiary and a factory in Samut Prakan province, which borders Bangkok, to manufacture 1-ton trucks for the domestic and export markets. Production of the Tata Xenon commenced in 2008.

Thailand is the world's second-largest market for pickups after the United States and is also today one of the leading exporters of the vehicle over the past decade. It is also among the top 15 automobile assemblers worldwide.

The launch followed Tata's announcement Wednesday that it had entered an agreement with US carmaker Ford to buy the luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover for about 2.3 billion dollars.

Thailand had produced 231,680 vehicles during the first two months of 2008, a clear 27.28 per cent rise from the same period last year. In 2007, Thailand's total vehicle production reached 1.25 million units. About 57 per cent of the total production, or 132,674 vehicles, were exported from January to February 2008, a 39.5-per-cent jump on last year's vehicle exports from the same period a year ago.