An entrepreneur dreams to reach his customers in the most efficient way possible. And, in India, Tata Motors made it possible with the country’s first mini-truck back in 2005. You already know the name, but do you know the course it has tread on to become India’s most favoured mini truck? Let us dwell into the history and see where the journey of Tata Ace a.k.a Chota Haathi started!
2005 – Tata Ace comes into existence
There were a few small commercial vehicles available in India back in 2005. But, there was a need for a mini-truck. Tata Motors quickly grabbed the opportunity and launched the Tata Ace. It was powered by a small 700cc diesel engine capable of producing 16hp of power and a peak torque of 37.5Nm. The engine is paired to a 5-speed synchromesh transmission. Although the engine was small, the body on frame chassis gave it a plethora of options. Tata Ace became a huge success.
At the interior, the design was minimalistic. But as anyone would have expected from Tata, the plastic was meant to last long. And the best part is the storage capacity. Surprisingly, the interiors at present resemble a lot with the first generation as it designed perfectly with a lot of storage options.
Small businesses started using it for the lightweight cargo carriage and Tata Ace became popular across India under the name, ‘Chota Haathi’.
2006 – Tata Ace HT Launched
A new generation of Tata Ace was launched in 2006. It had a similar engine with a slightly more torque production. The load-bearing capacity was also increased to 750kgs from 710kgs.
In the same year, Tata Ace won BBC – Top Gear’s Design of the Year Award. Laurels were flowing in for the Chota Haathi, everyone knew Tata Ace is going to stay for long.
2007 – Tata Ace Magic Launched | A Better Passenger Carrier
Tata Ace was already being used as a commercial vehicle. But there was one sub-segment still left. And that was the passenger carrier. There were three-wheeled autos that were being used. Tata Ace Magic, a four-wheeled passenger carrier came into existence.
It came with excellent mileage, a promise of comfort and safety as compared to the rivals and Tata’s vast network of service. 2007 is also known to be the year when Tata Ace crossed 1lakh units sales mark.
2008 – Tata Ace CNG Launched
CNG started to become the fuel for savings. So, Tata decided to launch the CNG variant of the mini truck. Tata ACE CNG was launched in 2008. People were preferring Tata Ace over other options which resulted in high demands. So Tata Motors had to set up a dedicated plant at Pantnagar to meet the increased demands.
2009 – Tata Super Ace and Tata Ace EX Launched
Tata’s 0.5ton mini-truck was already in demand. The company decided to introduce a bigger and more powerful Tata Ace which was named Tata Super Ace. A BS3 compliant 1.4-litre diesel engine was under the hood. It was capable of churning out 70hp of power and a peak torque of 135Nm. The loading deck’s length was increased to 2630mm (best-in-class). The 0.5-ton Ace was re-introduced as Ace EX.
2010 – 1 Lakh Sales Achieved
Tata Ace became India’s first commercial vehicle brand to reach 1 lakh sales per year. Total sales crossed the 5 lakh units mark. Within the 5 years of existence, no other commercial vehicle was able to achieve this feat.
2011 – Tata Magic IRIS and Tata Ace Zip
A smaller engine powered Tata Magic Iris was launched in 2011 and it was aimed to compete with the autorickshaws. The 600cc engine was capable of producing 11hp of power and 31Nm of torque. The top speed was a mere 34kmph. The fuel efficiency was around 15kmpl which proved to be a vital point for sales.
Tata Ace Zip was the commercial carrier version of the Magic Iris. Powered by the same engine, the Zip was priced at a surprisingly low cost of ₹1.9lakhs.
Another Milestone
Within 2 years i.e., by 2012, another 5,00,000 units were sold by Tata. Total of 1 million Tata Ace was sold.
After two years, Tata Super Ace Mint was launched. There was a minimal increase in the torque output of 2Nm.
In 2016, the company decided to launch the CNG variant of the Tata Ace Zip commercial vehicle.
2017 – Millimeter ab Centimeter Ho Gaya!
Tata introduced the XL range of Tata Ace. The cargo space was extended. The tube tyres were replaced with tubeless ones to enhance the durability of the carrier. And that was not all! It was made safer by the introduction of anti-roll bar suspension allowing it to carry heavier loads.
And there were over 20,00,000 Tata Ace on the road now. Tata says that every 3 minutes, a Tata Ace was being sold. Well, that is a feat to be proud of.
Next year, Tata launched Ace Gold with a BS4 compliant engine and better features and a bit higher payload capacity. The engine output was increased to 20h of power and 40Nm of torque.
2020 – Tata Ace Gold Petrol Launched
The BS6 era has begun. Tata Ace diesel and CNG variants were carried forward while receiving the BS6 upgrade. But with the price gap in diesel and petrol fuel diminishing, Tata decided to introduce the Petrol variant too. The Tata 275 BS6-compliant engine is capable of churning out 30hp of power and 55Nm of torque. Ace petrol is not only powerful but efficient too. And on the top of that, the company has provided an eco switch which allows you to switch over to economical mode when there is no load on the mini-truck.
So this is the history of India’s favourite mini-truck, Tata Ace. What are your thoughts on Tata making mobility in India safer and cheaper? Let us know in the comments section below.
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