Tata Motors will hire 100 more workers for its European technical center in central England, boosting the number to 340 by 2013. Since 2005, Tata has invested more than £85 million ($135 million) to support automotive r&d at the university. This center is located at the University of Warwick, near Coventry. Tata is composed of a team of 240 engineers and researchers that work together with Warwick Manufacturing Group at the university. Tata hinted at the possibility of setting up test and development facilities at the center.
Tata owns the UK-based Jaguar and Land Rover brands. This center is credited for having helped develop Tata's Pixel City car concept and the Vista electric car. These two vehicles are targeted at the European market. Production of the four-seat Vista EV family car in Coventry is expected to start later this year.
Fleet customers in the UK will be able to purchase the model starting in early summer. Tata claims that it has a range of 110 miles (177 kilometers) and it can reach a top speed of 71 mph. The Tata Pixel concept was first presented to the public at the Geneva auto show in early March. The minicar is based on the Nano.
