Tata Motors is to join Scuderia Ferrari (photo: Felipe Massa during this year's Italian Grand Prix at Monza) next year as a sponsor, embedding further the strong links between the Fiat Group and India's biggest vehicle manufacturer.

Tata Motors is to join Scuderia Ferrari next year as a sponsor, embedding further the strong links between the Fiat Group and India's biggest vehicle manufacturer. Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo revealed the news today, "for the first time an Indian brand will appear on the Ferrari, it is historic," he told journalists.

The Indian carmaker already has a deep relationship with Fiat Group. The Tata Group Chairman and its driving force, Ratan Tata, has a seat on the full Fiat Group board, and in India Fiat and Tata Motors have a joint car manufacturing, sales, financing and distribution arrangement. The two companies recently explored jointly building a pick-up at Fiat's factory in Córdoba in Argentina before shelving the idea, while Fiat advised Tata on its acquisition earlier this year of Jaguar Land Rover, and has examined its platforms for possible use in future Fiat models. Fiat has also provided input and technology into Tata Motors cars and discussed distributing Tata's own-brand cars in Europe through the Fiat dealer network, while Scuderia Ferrari uses the services of a Tata Group data analysis company. In the past Ratan Tata has openly admitted he would be interested in a minority Ferrari stake if one became available.

Tata Motors was established in 1945; and as well as being India's biggest carmaker it is also among the world's top five manufacturers of medium and heavy trucks and the world's second largest medium and heavy bus manufacturer. It entered the passenger vehicles segment in 1991 and now ranks second in India's in this market. The company, formerly known as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company, began manufacturing commercial vehicles in 1954 with a 15-year collaboration agreement with Daimler Benz of Germany. It has, since, developed Tata Ace, India's first indigenous light commercial vehicle, Tata Safari, India's first sports utility vehicle, Tata Indica, India's first indigenously manufactured passenger car, and the Nano, the world's cheapest car. Tata Motors has over 1,400 engineers and scientists in six R&D centres in India, South Korea, Spain and the UK. Its vehicles are exported to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia and South America.

Tata Motors makes passenger cars, multi-utility vehicles and light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles. Passenger cars: The company launched the compact Tata Indica in 1998, the sedan Indigo in 2002 and the station wagon Indigo Marina in 2004. Tata Motors also distributes Fiat’s cars in India. Utility vehicles: The Tata Sumo was launched in 1994 and the Tata Safari in 1998. Commercial vehicles: The commercial vehicle range extends from the light two-tonne truck to heavy dumpers and multi-axled vehicles in the above 40-tonne segment. Passenger buses: The company also manufactures and sells passenger buses, 12-seaters to 60-seaters, in the light, medium and heavy segments. Tata Motors also has a joint venture with Marcopolo, the Brazil-based maker of bus and coach bodies as well as with the Fiat Group.