Tata, Mistry unveil foundation stone of major UK innovation centre

LONDON: Tata group chairman emeritus Ratan Tata and chairman Cyrus Mistry along with Warwick Manufacturing Group’s founder Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya unveiled the foundation stone of a new £150-million National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) in Warwick on Tuesday.

The centre, which will be the largest research centre of its kind in Europe, is funded by Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the University of Warwick, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

“Under both Ratan Tata and Cyrus Mistry, Tata has been crucial to inspiring investment in British innovation. We are so grateful for your faith, support and vision,” Bhattacharyya said.

The 33,000 square metre complex will provide space to 1,000 engineers, designers and academics to work together, from apprentices to senior managers. JLR and Tata Motors will also use the NAIC to take forward autonomous vehicles research through a £19 million Autodrive UK project.

“This unique resource will provide state-of-the-art engineering and technology labs, which will greatly enhance the ability of academia and industry to work side-by-side to deliver exciting innovative products, Mistry said.

“The centre will help JLR create key technologies that will deliver smarter, safer and more connected cars,” JLR CEO Ralf Speth said.

Meanwhile, Tata Motors reported a growth of 5%in global sales, including JLR, at 83,951 units in February, against 79,996 units last year. JLR sales, however, declined by 1.2% to 38,541 units against 39,011 units in the year-ago period.