India's Tata to leverage Chery's EV tech

Tata Motors will use an automaking platform from Chery to locally build electric cars under its premium Avinya brand, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The Indian carmaker told Reuters it will leverage the Freelander platform produced in a joint venture between Chery and Jaguar Land Rover in China, with the cars being manufactured at its newly opened factory in Tamil Nadu in southern India.

The first Avinya model on Chery's platform is due in 2027 and will be shipped from China as a kit and assembled in India, two people familiar with the matter said, with efforts to source localized components already underway.

A second EV is due for launch in 2029, with scope for two more vehicles beyond that, one of them said.

The strategy marks a pivot from Tata's original plan to use JLR's electrified modular architecture for Avinya models targeted for 2025.

That roadmap collapsed last year when JLR shelved plans to build EMA-based EVs in India, forcing Tata into a reset, Reuters previously reported.

Chery's platform deal is expected to make up for the lost time, granting Tata access to advanced features and technology it would otherwise take longer and more capital to develop, the people said.

"Avinya is being developed as a global premium brand. Our collaboration with JLR and its partners will be an important pillar," Tata said.

Chery told Reuters in a statement that its agreement with Tata builds on the success of its collaboration with JLR.

"Chery will act as a supplier to Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles. Each project operates under its own separate agreement ‌with standard commercial terms," the Chinese carmaker said.