Tata Motors keen on plant in Gujarat

Tata Motors is looking at setting up an automobile manufacturing unit in Gujarat. The location the Tatas are interested is a spot close to Mundra port. Company officials have reportedly had some preliminary discussions with the Adani group which operates the private port.

Significantly, Tata Power is mulling over a 4,000 MW ultra mega power project near Mundra. The location for the car project is also expected to be close to this site. It has been reported that a Tata Motors official had parleys with the Adani group on the possibility of Ro-Ro (roll on and roll off) ships coming to the port. Ro-Ro ships are designed to carry wheeled cargo such as automobiles, trailers or railway carriages, it added.

It is common knowledge that the Gujarat government had earlier tried to lure Tata Motors to Gujarat offering a location for the company’s small car project in Gujarat. However, the Tatas had decided to go to Singur with the Rs 1 lakh car plan.

Except for the presence of General Motors, Gujarat is not home to any auto giant. US auto behemoth GM had picked Halol for its plant in 1994.

However, even General Motors who had pumped in as much as Rs 1400 crore in Gujarat isn’t very happy about its Halol operations. This is seen as a reason for the company heading for at Talegaon near Pune for setting up its second car plant in the country. Reports said that Nissan too had come to Gujarat for setting up its India base, but later on traveled south to Chennai to stay there.