Talk about a disappointing turn of events, especially after the excitement surrounding a possible Tata sports car hit its stride at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show with the introduction of the Tamo Racemo. Now it looks like we’re unlikely to see the Tamo Racemo, or any other Tata sports car for that matter, in the near future. A report from Autocar India has doused the excitement surrounding the Tamo Racemo as it appears that Tata is putting the project on ice as part of its plans to “reduce investments in non-core business ideas.”

Though the details behind the about-face turn have yet to be confirmed, the publication did cite sources within the company who believe that the sports car project is, at the very least, hanging by a thread. The costs of building the sports car seem to be the biggest culprit behind this sudden about-face. At the very least, it was a casualty of a bigger goal the company is now moving on to, which includes streamlining its business models in an effort to improve production volume and regain market shares. None of these new directives have the Tamo Racemo in it, which is a shame considering that it’s debut earlier this year in Geneva was met with so much promise. None of that excitement matters now, though, because at the end of the day, the proverbial “bottom line” has once again dictated its terms on another automaker. Hopefully, Tata can sort out all of the current issues it has and revisit the Tamo Racemo in the future. Just don’t count on it happening anytime soon.

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A promising sports car gets its light extinguished

I'm not going to say that Tata’s Tamo Racemo was high on my list of can’t-miss vehicles in 2018 because it’s not. It’s not even close to the top of my list. That said, I’d be remiss if I dismissed the car completely because I actually was looking forward to seeing what the production version of the model would look like relative to the impressive concept that Tata previewed back in March at Geneva.

That concept was the biggest reason why I was optimistic about the sports car. It may have had some issues – the gullwing doors being one of them – but the overall package that Tata showcased was very promising. It had a sporty and aggressive look to it. The interior was a little too concept-ish, but still showed some promise. Most importantly, though, it featured a 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine that came with 187 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque. The engine wasn’t big at all, but its size was a reason why I was optimistic about it in the first place. It showed that Tata wasn’t about to make any outlandish power and performance claims for its sports car. Instead, it presented the concept in a such a way that a production model was believable.

But alas, “business decisions” have once again come in the way of a promising car hitting the market. The Tamo Racemo wouldn’t have reshaped the auto world by itself, but it could’ve shown the western auto scene that Tata could legitimately make a name for itself in the sports car game. Now it looks like we’re nowhere close to finding out if the Indian auto giant could’ve done it. It’s disappointing, but at the end of the day, it’s business. And business always wins.

References

Read our full review on the Tata Tamo Racemo.