Finally, living up to its promise and ending the buzz surrounding this much-awaited launch, Tata Motors has finally unveiled its first sports car called RACEMO at the 87th Geneva Motor Show. This is the very first vehicle launched under the company’s innovation-focused sub-brand TAMO. And believe me, first look at this beautifully-crafted two-seater sports coupe will blow your mind away.
This was Tata Motors’ 20th time participating in the Motor Show and was graced by the presence of Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata and Tata Group’s new Chairman N Chandrasekaran. And the company decided to take this opportunity to show off their automotive innovation ‘RACEMO’ on stage at a launch event on Tuesday. Guenter Butschek, CEO and MD of Tata Motors called the said SUV as their blueprint for future developments in India’s connected mobility segment. Commenting on the launch, Butschek further added,
We launched our sub-brand TAMO as our answer to new technologies, business models and partnerships. ‘RACEMO’ is the first innovation from TAMO, and our emotional, unexpected leap to the future.
RACEMO is a two-seater sports vehicle packs inside a rear-mounted 1.2 litre turbocharged Revotron aluminium engine. The vehicle provides a maximum power of 190Ps and has a peak torque of 210 Nm @ 2500 RPM. This allows the car to go from 0 to 100 kmph in under six seconds. It surprisingly also includes a 6-Speed AMT with paddle shift, but it might only come in the race car variant.
As for the design, aesthetics, this is a first-of-its-kind product from Tata Motors (TAMO) has been built using patented MOFlex Multi-Material Sandwich (MMS) structure. It has been described as a new structural technology which allows greater freedom in building surface design and efficient large-scale part integration. It allows for modularity and faster time to market, as stated on TAMO’s site.
However, the most important element that the RACEMO brings along with it would have to be its connected capabilities. The vehicle is being touted as India’s “first connected” vehicle but no details about the same were dispensed at the launch event. But, one might’ve already guessed that Tata would be banking on its recent partnership with Microsoft to equip the RACEMO with cloud-based next-gen navigation/weather controls and remote monitoring. Further, the RACEMO has been described by Butschek as under,
Symbolising the change that is taking place at Tata Motors, ‘RACEMO’ is the proving ground of the TAMO family of vehicles and will drive the future of India’s connected generation. From styling and design to driver experience and technology,
From styling and design to driver experience and technology, RACEMO is an extension of customers’ personality, as part of their digital ecosystem and will break the ice with a radical new presence and pique the interest in the parent brand.
To market its first production vehicle, TAMO is relying on a four-pillar strategy which offers customers an opportunity to either own, play, race and explore the RACEMO. You can either purchase a normal 2-seater connected vehicle, try out an upgraded and powerful version called RACEMO+, a virtual racing experience through Microsoft’s Forza Horizon 3 game (where this is the first Indian sports car addition) or a virtual reality tour through the Hololens.
Though the RACEMO is production ready and can start shipping this instant but it is not expected to hit the roads until later next year. Reports suggest that Tata Motors will announce the start of sales at next year’s Indian Auto Expo 2018 — but this is also a possibility.
