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Alka Kshirsagar

Pune March 23 Tata Motors is readying the assembly line to manufacture a pick-up van modelled on the Renault Trafic. The new model renamed `Winger' will be produced at Pune, and according to sources, the company purchased both the design and machines from Renault's plant in France for the purpose last year.

The proposed Tata Motors model is likely to be a passenger vehicle, closer to a mini-bus than a pick-up van for goods with a diesel engine outfitted with Common Rail Diesel Injection technology.

The Trafic, a Renault-branded version of what it termed as a `panel van' is the name given by the company to its new generation of light vans. It exists in many different adaptations, from a three-seat cabin space in the front with the rear space available for loads, to a nine-seater.

While the present production plan suggests that the Winger will hit the market in early June or July, company officials are tight lipped on the issue. In response to a query, a spokesman for Tata Motors merely responded that the company did not "have any details to share at this stage on the mini-bus or the production facilities" referred to.

Though the Trafic first hit the market in the 80s, it has undergone several revisions along the way. The current Renault Trafic designed in Paris is developed in joint venture with General Motors and manufactured at the latter's plant in Luton. It is also sold as the Vauxhall and Opel Vivaro. Renault's ally Nissan sells it as the Primaster. The nature of the exact arrangement between Tata Motors and Renault is not immediately clear.

More Stories on : Cars | New Projects | Cars | Tata Motors Ltd

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