Tata Motors aced the 1 ton pick up segment with the Tata Ace but Mahindra & Mahindra beat it to the 0.5 ton pick up with the Gio.
Tata Penguin
Now, Tata is aiming to reclaim lost ground with it’s own offering in the 0.5 ton pick up segment called the Penguin. The Penguin is based on the Tata Nano’s underpinnings which will result in significant savings for Tata Motors. Moreover, the Tata Penguin will get added advantage of being a four wheeler in a segment that is dominated by three wheelers with downright scary handling capabilities. We anticipate a 9.5 Bhp single cylinder diesel engine.
This could mean that the engine won’t be as refined as the Gio’s diesel twin. That said, usually Tata powerplants though unrefined, manage to do the job reliably for years and years. It would be very worthwhile to remember that the 0.5 ton segment is hugely dominated by the Piaggio Ape 3 wheeler which sells to the tune of 20,000 units per month. If Tata manages to get a firm foothold into this market, it surely will laugh all the way to the bank like it did with the Ace. Expect a killer pricing from Tata Motors which we assume will be undercutting the Mahindra Gio by a sizable margin. Watch out for the Tata Penguin’s launch at the upcoming 2010 Auto Expo.