Tiago & Tigor JTP Officially Discontinued; Tata Assures Support To Existing Owners

Tata Motors has ended its 50:50 joint venture with Jayem Automotives and will soon buy the latter's stake in JT Special Vehicles

• Tough financial year, regulatory changes and COVID-19 were the reasons behind Tata's decision.

• JT Special Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. will now become a subsidiary of Tata Motors.

• The Tiago and Tigor JTP came with a 114PS 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine.

• Tata has assured continued support to existing owners.

Tata Motors has officially discontinued the Tiago and Tigor JTP that were launched in 2018. The JTP versions of the two cars were the product of Tata's 50:50 joint venture with Jayem Automotive, which led to the creation of JT Special Vehicles (JTSV). The goal of JTSV was to create performance-oriented versions of Tata's passenger cars and the Tiago and Tigor JTP were the first fruits of this joint venture. Tata has announced the it will soon buy Jayem's stake and turn JTSV into a wholly-owned subsidiary.

As per Tata's official statement, ‘challenging FY19-20, exacerbated with a mandatory change in regulations and the current COVID-19 pandemic' led to the decision to end its partnership with Coimbatore-based Jayem Automotive.

The JTP versions of the Tiago and Tigor came with the Nexon's 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, albeit in a retuned state. Where the JTP cars made 114PS and 150Nm, the pre-facelift Nexon produced 110PS and 170Nm. Both cars came equipped with a 5-speed manual unlike the 6-speed unit in Nexon.

The two JTP offerings didn't just feature a more potent engine but also had a smidge less ride height, retuned suspension and smarter-looking alloy wheels wrapped in grippier, wider tyres. Complementing the technical changes were some tasteful cosmetic upgrades like JTP badging, a hood vent, blacked-out roof, an aurally appealing twin-tip exhaust and on the inside, an all-black cabin with red accents, contrast stitching and sporty pedals.

Tata has assured that it will continue to provide the requisite support to all JTP owners. Maintaining these JTP offerings shouldn't be a hassle as they are based on widely sold Tiago and Tigor models and backed by the homegrown carmaker's expansive service net. Given that only a limited stock of cars found buyers, the JTP twins seem well on their way to achieving cult status.

As for the future, Tata hasn't made any official announcements yet but expect more performance-oriented versions of its current lineup of cars soon. However, expect these versions to not sport the JTP moniker. If you want to know the experience of driving Tata's pocket rockets, then here's the Tata Tiago, Tigor JTP Test Drive.