Tata Motors launches sub-brand TAMO, first sportscar launch in March 2017

Tata Motors has launched its new performance brand TAMO, which can be said to be somewhat similar to the ’N’ wing at Hyundai or the Mugen division at Honda. The company will reveal its first product under TAMO, the Futuro on 7th March 2017, ahead of the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. According to the Tata Motors, the Futuro will be "a stunning-looking car for the money." The company will undertake limited production of the car and the production version is expected to hit the market by 2018. It is expected that the two-seater sports coupe Futuro will be priced around Rs 25 lakh.

The engine details of Futuro are not confirmed yet but it is expected that it will be powered by a bumped up 1.2 Revotron turbocharged engine that will develop close to180 hp of power. While these figures do not sound worthy of a two-seater sports car, the Futuro will be made with lightweight materials and hence will weigh less and sport a healthy power-to-weight ratio.

TAMO as a sub-brand will play a critical role in new product development for the entire group. The sub-brand will operate with only two platforms instead of the six used by Tata Motors presently. Both these platforms will be modular in nature and one of them is the Advanced Modular Platform (AMP). The AMP platform is claimed to be highly modular and can spawn cars with different body styles and support a wide range of powertrain configurations.

TAMO will also serve as a technology hotbed for Tata Motors as the sub-brand aims to work on a leaner and quicker work model, allowing for low-cost and quicker development of innovative technologies. The sub-brand will also focus on development of technologies that can be used even in the mass-market cars of Tata Motors.

Another key role that TAMO will play for Tata Motors is by leveraging the effort of brand repositioning that the group has been trying for years. Launching a new sub-brand with halo products will make it easier for consumers to adopt new technologies and products from other Tata Motors vehicles as well apart from changing the overall brand perception for good.

TAMO, however should not be confused with the likes of Nexa, the premium retail chain from Maruti Suzuki. TAMO in contrast to Nexa will not operate through a separate retail chain and its products will be sold through the regular Tata Motors dealerships only. Further details on future products and strategy haven't been revealed yet but we expect more details to flow in as the March unveiling of the Futuro approaches.