The Tata Telcoline is a mid-size pick-up that Tata Motors has built since July 1988. In India it began life as the Tatamobile 206 and was renamed the Tata 207 DI in 2002; abroad it has been sold as the Telcoline, the Tata Loadbeta, the Tata Pick Up and, in its second generation, the Tata Xenon. Its Tata X2 ladder frame went on to carry the Sierra, the Estate, the Sumo and the Safari.
Tata Telcoline at a glance
| Maker | Tata Motors (Telco), India |
|---|---|
| Launched | July 1988, as Tatamobile 206 |
| Class | mid-size pick-up |
| Platform | Tata X2, body on frame |
| Bodies | single cab with two seats, crew cab with five |
| Engine | 2.0-litre Peugeot XD88 diesel, 63 hp; turbo 92 hp |
| Gearbox | five-speed manual |
| Drive | rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive |
| Sold 1988–90 in India | 126,632 |
| Indian market share | 25 per cent of light commercial vehicles |
| Indian name since 2002 | Tata 207 DI |
| Export names | Telcoline, Loadbeta, Tata Pick Up, Xenon |
History of the Tata Telcoline
The Tatamobile 206 was introduced in July 1988. Telco, as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company was then known, designed and engineered it in two years, and it was the company’s first light commercial vehicle after the heavier 407. It was an immediate success: 61,691 were sold in India in the 1988 and 1989 model years and 64,941 between 1989 and 1990, which gave Tata a quarter of the Indian light commercial vehicle market.
One chassis, many cars
The pick-up used a flexible body-on-frame chassis called the Tata X2 platform, in short-wheelbase single-cab form with two seats and long-wheelbase crew-cab form with five, with rear- or four-wheel drive; the 4WD cars sat higher for off-road use. The same platform carried the three-door Sierra of 1991, the five-door Estate estate car, and the Safari, Sumo and Spacio. In India the engine was a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre Peugeot XD88 diesel of 1,948 cc and 63 hp, assembled under licence by Tata; a stroked version of the Peugeot XUD9 of the same size followed in 1994, and a turbocharged unit of 92 hp was also offered.
Export and facelifts
Tata began exporting the Tatamobile to South Africa in 1990 under the name Telcoline, and in 1994 facelifted the Indian car with new headlamps and started selling in Europe. In Italy it was the Tata Pick Up in single and crew-cab form, in base and Orciari trim, the latter with two-tone paint, a bull bar, alloy wheels, air conditioning and a better interior, with the 63 hp naturally aspirated and 92 hp turbo diesels; under Euro 3 the naturally aspirated engine was dropped and the turbo fell to 88 hp. In 2000 Tata agreed with Malaysia Truck & Bus to assemble the pick-up from kits at Pekan in Pahang, at first only as a four-wheel-drive double cab.
The 2002 facelift brought new bumpers, bonnet and a grille with the new Tata logo, changes to the mechanicals and the 3.0-litre diesel already used in the 407: 58 hp naturally aspirated with more torque than the old 2.0, or 87 hp turbo to Euro 4. With it the Indian name changed from Tatamobile to Tata 207 DI. In September 2003 Tata signed a joint venture with Phoenix Venture Holdings, the MG Rover group, to distribute the 207 DI in Britain, and in 2006 the 207 DI EX arrived with a single cab, a flat load body and a long wheelbase. Europe also received the 2.2-litre Dicor common-rail turbodiesel of 140 hp, based on the PSA DW12 and reworked by Tata and AVL. Four-wheel drive reached India only in 2005, as the Tata TL, while the rear-wheel-drive car stayed the 207; European sales ended in 2008 with the arrival of the Xenon, though production continued in India with exports to South Africa.
Design and features
- The X2 platform: a ladder frame that later carried the Sierra, Estate, Sumo, Spacio, Safari and Sumo Grande.
- Peugeot-derived diesel: a 2.0-litre XD88 of 63 hp, later turbocharged to 92 hp and reduced to 88 hp under Euro 3.
- Two cabs: a two-seat single cab and a five-seat crew cab, with rear- or four-wheel drive.
- Local names everywhere: Tatamobile and 207 DI in India, Telcoline, Loadbeta and Tata Pick Up abroad.
Tata Telcoline versions
- Tatamobile 206 (1988): the original Indian pick-up with the 2.0-litre diesel.
- Tata 207 DI (2002): the facelifted car with the 3.0-litre diesel from the 407.
- Tata 207 DI EX (2006): single cab, flat load body and long wheelbase.
- Tata TL (2005): the four-wheel-drive version sold in India.
- Tata Pick Up and Orciari: the European and Italian versions, the Orciari with two-tone paint and a bull bar.
- Tata Loadbeta: the name used in Britain.
The Telcoline’s platform carried the Sierra and the Sumo, and its successor was the Xenon pick-up. More Tata vehicles are in the Tata collection.
Sources
- Tata Telcoline, English Wikipedia: launch, sales, platform, engines, facelifts, exports
- Tata Telcoline, Italian Wikipedia: Italian market, Orciari version, Malaysian assembly
- Tata TL, German Wikipedia: Indian 4×4, equipment, prices
.jpg){kind=link}
