India and Australia just edged a little closer in the corporate car world. India's Tata Motors (TTM) announced today that it will enter the Australian market under a new third-party distributor, M/s Fusion Automotive Pty Ltd. Australia.
Fusion Automotive will have exclusive rights to market and distribute Tata Motors' brand, and will use the Indian automaker's light commercial vehicle vehicles as its first foray into the Australian automotive market.
"Through Fusion Automotive Pty Ltd., Tata Motors will introduce a range of light commercial vehicles, in both the 4x2, 4x4, single and crew-cab variants, with Euro V Turbo diesel engines," said Tata's Managing Director Karl Slym in a statement today. The companies said the light commercial segment is the third-largest segment of the Australian new-car market, with 13 major brands in the 4x2 and 4x4 categories.
Speaking on behalf of Fusion, Managing Director Darren Bowler noted:
The vehicle range, starting with light commercials, will be competitively priced and will offer a greater level of value than what is available in the current market. There is no tougher place on earth to test vehicles than on some of the toughest and most demanding roads across India, and we believe that gives us a competitive advantage with the range of Tata Motors products.
Fusion expects to start its Tata showcase with 13 dealerships by the end of the year, with plans to potentially expand to 25 over the next 12 months.
