The TATA Pixel Blog

TATA MegaPixel Design Images

2012-05-17T11:55:00.002-07:00

TATA MegaPixel Design Philosophy

2012-05-17T11:51:00.003-07:00

The Tata Megapixel is designed to express the energy and dynamism seen in Contemporary Design in India today. The design language of Megapixel , while inspired from traditional Indian Architectural and design details, is completely Global in its reach and appeal, comfortable in New York, London or Mumbai.

The traditional Indian ‘Jaali’ for instance has been used in a 3 dimensional way in the air intakes on the bumpers, or the A/C vents, giving it that modern, unexpected twist. The Rose Copper details in the Interior which are derived from tradition India metal craft are another unexpected and surprising use of a very traditional Indian material.

The juxtaposition of technical and natural materials also reflects perfectly the place India occupies today in the Global context, a mix of the modern with the traditional.

The dynamic stance, sweeping silhouette and floating C-Pillar express again the modernity and confidence of India today. The wide, single piece front ‘mask’ give the car a presence usually reserved for much larger cars. The single belt line which sweeps from the front quarter glass all the way around to the tailgate, visually stretch and lengthen what is otherwise a car with very compact dimensions.

The floating seats and beautifully patterned panoramic roof give a sense of lightness to the passenger cabin. The double sliding front and rear doors, afford unhindered access to a warm and welcoming interior space which is designed to be minimalistic and clutter free.

TATA MegaPixel New Pictures

2012-05-17T11:50:00.003-07:00

TATA Megapixel : Concept City Car

2012-03-29T11:51:00.001-07:00

An evolution of last year's Pixel concept, the Megapixel uses four in-wheel 10 kW motors and a 325 cc single cylinder petrol engine that generates 22 kW while charging the lithium ion phosphate battery. The result is a range of 900 km (559 miles) and an electric-only range of 87 km (54 miles). The Megapixel has several other killer party tricks, including acutely turning wheels which give it a turning radius of just 2.8 meters (9.2 ft), which is small enough to do a U-turn in a narrow street, and an inductive home charging system - park over the induction pad and it charges itself without needing to be plugged in. There's also some very useful automatic sliding double doors.

TATA Megapixel Mileage (kmpl) or (mpg)

2012-03-06T20:05:00.006-08:00

At a time when fuel conservation is becoming imperative across the world, India's Tata Motors is aiming to make a car, Tata Megapixel that can deliver up to 100 kilometres from a litre of fuel by using a unique combination of technology. The company, which surprised the world with 'Rs one lakh car' Nano, today unveiled the concept vehicle which is a four -seater global range extended electric vehicle (REEV) meant for city driving. The new innovation from the house of Tatas is likely to be commercially launched in around three years from now. "Realistically such products take at least 3 years to develop. There are lots of electric technology to be developed, besides many other things," Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata said after unveiling the vehicle here at the Geneva Motor Show. The vehicle combines a lithium ion phosphate battery and an on-board petrol engine generator for recharging on the move. According to the company, Tata Megapixel offers a range of up to 900 km (with a single tank of fuel) and fuel economy of 100 km/litre (under battery only power). It also said the car will have CO2 emission of "just 22 gm/km". Last year at the 81st Geneva Motor Show Tata Motors had unveiled Tata Pixel, a city car concept for Europe. Pixel is yet to be commercially launched. Speaking during the unveiling of Megapixel, Tata Motors Managing Director - India Operations Prakash M Telang said: "The Tata Megapixel, developed by our design centres in India, the UK and Italy, is our idea of a city car for discerning motorists in any megacity of the world. "It is a result of the progress we have made on the Tata Pixel, displayed last year, and also denotes the companys future design direction."

Tata Motors unveils Megapixel concept

2012-03-06T20:02:00.003-08:00

Tata Motors has unveiled a four-door version of the Pixel (which was a two-door) - this one, rather obviously called the Megapixel.

Tata Motors, a regular at the Geneva Motor Show, has shown several concepts that have eventually turned into production realities. At the 2005 Geneva show, Tata had showcased the Xover concept which has translated to the Aria in production. And in 2007, the Elegante concept transformed into the production Manza. Similarly, the manufacturer has, over the years, made strong indications towards bringing the Nano to Europe and the Pixel range may just be the next-generation Nano for the continent.

The Tata Megapixel comes powered by four electric motors, each of which is hub-mounted, thus transmitting power to the wheels. These motors are powered by a 13 kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery pack that allows the Megapixel to travel for 87 km on a full charge.

When the car is ‘fast-charged’ for just 30 minutes, it still manages to reach 80 per cent of charging capacity. The batteries can be recharged by an induction plate at the bottom of the car. When charge runs out, an auxiliary engine comes to the rescue. This is a 325cc single cylinder petrol engine that makes 30 bhp.

The Megapixel is capable of a top-speed of 110 kph. Its dimensions are akin to cars like the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R and the Hyundai i10, hinting at the possibility of the Nano moving up the value chain in the future for international markets. The Megapixel’s CO2 rating of 22g per km is one of the lowest for a car. The four floating seats of the Megapixel can be accessed through the four sliding doors. The front doors slide out to the front of the car, while the rear doors slide to the rear.

Tata has stated that the Megapixel follows the India Global design philosophy, that also indicates the future design direction Tata Motors products could take. Prakash M Telang, managing director - India operations, Tata Motors said “The Tata Megapixel, developed by our design centres in India, the UK and Italy, is our idea of a city car for discerning motorists in any megacity of the world.”

Also at the Geneva Motor Show were other significant concepts like the Volkswagen Cross Coupe that features a diesel hybrid powertrain. Based on the Modular Transverse Matrix or MQB platform, it will spawn all kinds of cars, from the next-generation Polo to the Passat and Volkswagen hopes to save significantly on platform development in the process.

The first car from the MQB platform to be sold in India would be the Audi A3 sedan; the hatchback variant of the A3 was also previewed at the show. India would receive a sedan version in 2014 and might end up being the cheapest Audi on sale in India, even cheaper than the Q3 compact SUV that will hit showrooms by mid-2012.

Another Volkswagen group company, Bentley, previewed the EXP9 concept which hints at a super SUV segment, above the likes of the Range Rover and Porsche Cayenne. It is aimed at the growing affluence of markets like China, India and the Middle-East and is likely to go into production by 2015.

Ssangyong, Mahindra & Mahindra’s subsidiary, meanwhile confirmed that the Rexton SUV will go on sale in India by mid-2012. A facelifted version of the Hyundai i20 also graced the Hyundai pavilion and is expected to go on sale in India shortly.

TATA Mega Pixel First Look

2012-03-06T20:00:00.001-08:00

TATA Pixel Tail Lamp

2012-01-20T09:26:00.001-08:00

TATA Pixel Price

2012-01-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

The TATA pixel will cost 100,000-rupee, or $2,172, - you wish. If the TATA Nano price was shocking on the lower end the Pixel price is shocking at the other one.
Last week, Ratan Tata, the Tata Group chairman, discussed sales and pricing prospects for a United States city car after a symposium at Cornell University’s College of Art, Architecture and Planning. Mr. Tata is an alumnus. The symposium was held in conjunction with an exhibition that explored the design and development of the Nano.
“It won’t be a $2,000 car; it will be a $7,000 or $8,000 car,” Mr. Tata said at the event. “But it will still be, in comparative terms, a car that the U.S. would accept.”
The eventual car, he added, would be produced with “the same design philosophy” and “frugal engineering” that informed development of the Nano.
Mr. Tata was not asked whether the Pixel, a scissor-door runabout that was shown in concept form at the Geneva auto show this month presaged an American Tata nor whether the company still intended to bring the Nano in some form to the American market.

TATA NANO at 2011 Geneva Auto Show

2012-01-17T08:22:00.000-08:00

Tata has revealed its Euro city car concept in Geneva today and it's a trick little piece. First off, Tata says it is the most efficiently-packaged four-seater in the world, comfortably seating four regulation-size adults in a car just 10 feet long. Even more trick is the car's zero turning radius system, which, in simple terms, rotates the rear wheels in separate directions to make parking as easy as possible in tight spaces. According to Tata, the system works with the help of something called a "Zero Turn turoidal traction-drive Infinitely Variable Transmission. Right. The effect is that the outside rear wheel spins forward while the inside wheels spins backward, creating a pivot point. In keeping with the modern microcar trend, Tata claims that the Pixel will return more than 60 mpg and only releases 89 grams of C02 per kilometer. The efficiency comes by way of a 1.2-liter three-cylinder turbodiesel, which, though it isn't a full hybrid, employs stop-start technology and regenerative battery charging.

TATA Pixel Specifications

2011-11-06T20:02:00.001-08:00

A new View of TATA Pixel

2011-09-21T11:17:00.001-07:00

TATA Pixel Zero Turn Drive

2011-03-08T20:11:00.001-08:00

TATA Pixel Video from Geneva Motor Show

2011-03-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

TATA Pixel Photo Gallery

2011-03-05T11:06:00.000-08:00