The Tata Ace has become India’s first 1-lakh brand in goods commercial vehicles. In 2009-10, the sales of the Tata Ace crossed the 1-lakh mark to reach 110,032 units. It has thus become India’s only goods commercial vehicle to achieve the milestone. The Tata Ace was launched in May 2005 as India’s first mini-truck with a sub-one tonne payload. Starting with sales of about 30,000 units in 2005-06, its footprint more than doubled in 2006-07 to over 70,000 and further grew to over 89,000 units in 2007-08. Even in 2008-09, a year impacted by the downturn in the commercial vehicles industry, the Tata Ace clocked sales of over 81,000 units.
With brand extensions, the Tata Ace portfolio now comprises the Ace, the Ace HT, the Ace Ex (with stop-start technology) and the Super Ace (I tonne). In June 2007, Tata Motors had launched the Tata Magic, developed on the Ace platform, as a comfortable and safe four-wheeler for public transportation. The Tata Magic too is recording strong adoption in semi-urban and rural areas, and in 2009-10 its sales have touched close to 49,000 units, a growth of 71% over the previous year. Taken together, sales of the Tata Ace and Tata Magic have crossed 150,000 units in 2009-10.