Tata eMO

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show.

The Indian industrial giant's four-seater electric eMO - short for electric mobility -- was developed for the Michelin Challenge Design display, and is an engineering study unlikely to be put into production.

The maker is claiming a 160km range and a 105km/h top speed from the front-wheel-drive electric vehicle's 18.4-kilowatt battery system.

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Tata Technologies is part of the 100-plus company Tata Group that employs more than 400,000 worldwide, but is not part of Tata Motors.

It is headquartered in Singapore and employs more than 5400 engineering and design personnel to consult with automotive and aerospace manufacturers, as well as their suppliers.

Tata Technologies is taking up the challenge from the Indian government, which has nominated this decade as the country's Decade of Innovation.

Tata Technologies president Warren Harris says the eMO - which it says could retail for as little as US$20,000 without subsidies - is a demonstration of Indian automotive engineering talent.

"It is a tangible example of the capability of Tata Technologies to engineer a full vehicle - a first for any India-based engineering services company," he says.

The eMO has a steel safety cage around the passenger cell but has body panels made from recycled material and some polycarbonate materials used in the windows.

Tata Technologies - which registered 15 patents during the eMO development process - says the eMO is an example of "right-size" urban transport.

Vehicle Programs and Development group president Kevin Fisher says the company believes most vehicles on the market are actually oversized and over-specified for the majority of consumers daily use.

"Our objective was to find the right size for this type of electric vehicle with the appropriate range and speed, without reducing safety and daily usability," he says.