Tata Technologies Forms New Vehicle Development Group

Tata Technologies is forming a new vehicle programs group.

DETROIT - Tata Technologies, a global provider of engineering services, is forming a new vehicle programs group to meet the demand for faster, more complex vehicle development support within the auto industry.

Tata Technologies’ Vehicle Programs & Development (VPD) Group will include more than 200 engineers operating from four automotive engineering centers of excellence worldwide -- Detroit, Coventry (UK), Pune (India) and Stuttgart (Germany).

Kevin Fisher, a senior Tata Technologies executive with more than 30 years of experience in vehicle program engineering, has been named president of the new organization and will be based in the Detroit suburb of Novi.

"Our group draws on industry-leading technology and global engineering expertise in the places where today's automotive ideas take shape," Fisher noted.

He added that the Tata Technologies VDP Group uses a multidimensional approach to vehicle engineering and development that will leverage the company's global delivery system and proprietary Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) platforms to develop products faster and more cost effectively.

"The next decade will see an ever increasing demand for accelerated product development that also will need to incorporate more new technology than the auto industry has seen in 30 years," Fisher said. "We are positioning the Tata Technologies VPD Group to set the pace in automotive product development and technological innovation."

Fisher reported that the new group has already won several full-vehicle programs in the United States and Europe, including development of the G2 electric car from Maryland-based Genovation Inc. European-based premium car manufacturers, North American OEMs, major automotive suppliers and independent automotive start-ups are also part of the Tata Technologies VDP Group client portfolio.

The company will be an exhibitor (Booth #1015) at the 2011 SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) World Congress taking place April 12-14 in Detroit. Members of the Tata Technologies VPD team will be on hand at the company's SAE exhibit along with a scale model of Genovation's G2 electric vehicle. An urban mobility concept model, under development at the Tata Technologies North American Styling Studio, also will be on display, to showcase the styling capabilities within the VPD Group.