Tata Motors sets 360 records in an ultimate endurance & fuel efficiency test

Tata Motors announced a set of stupendous records in a 18-day, non-stop high-speed drive with its three cars � Zest, Bolt and the upcoming Tiago – on the 4.2 km long NCAT (National Centre of Automotive Testing) high-speed test track at the Vehicle Research & Development Establishment (VRDE), a DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organization) facility in Ahmednagar. The new generation cars underwent the ultimate endurance run in scorching temperatures for the #GearedForGreat Challenge and achieved multiple record-breaking distances culminating at 50,000km each with an average speed of around 120 kmph, succesfully clocking a staggering 360 records in a single event (Please refer Anexure 1 for record details) – the first ever by any Indian OEM.

Tata Motors‘ triumphant celebration came with four of its new generation cars, the petrol versions of Zest and Bolt; and the petrol and diesel versions of the soon to be launched, Tiago.

According to Mr. Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors, “We are thrilled to have successfully achieved the 50,000km milestone, this indubitably showcases the technology and robustness of our new cars. The Geared for Great challenge offered us a tremendous platform to display our commitment to bring exciting, high-performance, category defining cars to our customers”. He added, “Our Revotron and Revotorq engines are built to endure extreme performance and deliver a new level of driving experience and we are now bringing these engines into our new upcoming car, Tiago. This Asian record run demonstrates how our engines are among the most advanced drive systems currently available in the market.”

Conducted under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the sanctioning body in India for the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile – the world body for motorsport), the #GearedForGreat endurance challenge has been designed and developed in partnership with ZEEGNITION as an independent auto expert testing the cars, backed by the Indian Oil Corporation of India (IOCL) and JK Tyres.

Tata Motors embarked on a grueling endurance and a mileage run from 14h March, 2016 with the cars randomly picked from its plant and put them to test to prove their capability. All four cars cars started strongly, first dispatching all existing records for 24 hours with the Bolt storming through to a new Indian mark of 3161km at an average speed of 131.7km/h. From here on it was all about setting new benchmarks on the tough 4.2 km high-speed circuit with all four corners featuring steeply banked curves of varying degrees that put the cars to the severest tests while also allowing them to run flat out. The basic structure of the cars coupled to their engineering design and build plus the efficacy of the suspension geometry greatly aided the ride and handling of the cars to enable their drivers to be both safe and comfortable as they drove at high speed lap after lap, day and night.