Tata Motors eyes cost parity with Chinese EV makers in 18 months

Tata Motors, the country’s largest EV maker, currently sells a range of passenger EVs domestically.

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Tata Motors is targeting price parity with Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers within the next 12 to 18 months as it prepares to expand its EV portfolio globally, a senior company executive said on Tuesday, according to PTI.

Speaking at the FT Live Energy Transition Summit India, Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Electric Mobility, acknowledged the cost advantage enjoyed by Chinese automakers due to their integrated EV ecosystem.

“The Chinese players, with access to a robust ecosystem, are definitely at an advantage when it comes to cost structure because of scale and the benefits given across the value chain,” Chandra said. “We are very confident that in the next 1–1.5 years, from a landed cost perspective—taking into account logistics and duties of around 15 per cent—we will pretty much be at cost parity with Chinese manufacturers.”

Chandra on localisation

He stressed the need for deeper localisation in India to strengthen competitiveness. “Whether it is semiconductors or components and subsystems, we are preparing ourselves to take that leap. If we have to go global, we have to face the Chinese players in any case,” he noted.

Chandra also underlined the role of government policies in driving EV adoption in India. “What has really helped in sustaining this growth is policy stability—lower GST, tax benefits, and incentives from state governments,” he said.

Tata Motors, the country’s largest EV maker, currently sells a range of passenger EVs domestically. The company reported retail sales of 7,111 electric cars last month, a 62 per cent increase from 4,392 units in August last year. Total electric passenger vehicle sales rose to 17,393 units in August, compared with 6,791 units a year earlier.

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