Tata Motors begins platform testing for Avinya models

A new camouflaged prototype vehicle was recently spied testing in India, which many online reports speculated was one of Tata’s upcoming Avinya models. Contrary to those reports, however, the spotted test mule is actually the Sterra ET, an SUV from Exeed, a premium brand of Chinese automaker Chery. Incidentally, the Exeed Sterra ET is based on the same Chery-JLR platform which will underpin Tata Motors’s upcoming Avinya range.

Tata Avinya EVs to use Chery’s E0X platform  

Tata Motors recently confirmed that the Avinya range of models will be built on the Freelander EV platform produced by Chery-JLR in China. Known as the E0X, this platform is also utilised in several other models in the Chinese market. These include the Exeed Sterra ES and Sterra ET, the latter of which has been spied testing on our roads and is also known as the Exeed Exlantix ET in markets outside China.

Essentially, the company is using the Exeed Sterra ET as a test bed for its upcoming Avinya EVs, but the spied test mule doesn’t preview any Avinya model in particular, even though its proportions are very similar to the Avinya X concept.

While the Avinya EVs’ underlying mechanical architecture is expected to be similar to other models based on the E0X platform, Tata Motors is understood to be reworking key parts of the electronics, software and vehicle systems to meet the requirements for the Indian market.

Exeed Sterra ET: What is it?

The Sterra ET is a near-5-metre-long SUV that’s available with both all-electric and range-extender hybrid powertrain options. It is Exeed’s second product in its Sterra line-up after the Sterra ES sedan.

The Sterra ET is also known as the Exlantix ET in markets outside China.

In all-electric guise, the Sterra ET gets an 800V architecture and can support up to 100kWh batteries. It comes in rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations, and the claimed range is up to 760km on the China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC). Meanwhile, the range-extender hybrid versions use a 400V architecture and are powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine coupled with a 32kWh or a 41.2kWh battery pack. These, too, come in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive setups and are said to offer a combined range of up to 1,518km on the CLTC.

First production model under the Avinya brand is due in 2027.

It remains to be seen which powertrain configurations Tata chooses for its Avinya range. The Sterra ET also gets Level 2 ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems), over-the-air (OTA) updates and vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities.  

The first production model under the Avinya brand will be the Avinya X, due for a market launch in 2027. 

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