Honda appears to be having Tata develop a new multi-energy platform.

Honda is said to have hired the Indian engineering services firm Tata Technologies to develop a new vehicle platform. According to a news agency, the future platform will support various powertrains, including pure electric vehicles.

According to Bloomberg, Tata Technologies, based in Pune, Maharashtra, is developing a platform for the Japanese automaker. Bloomberg also reports that the architecture is designed to support internal combustion engines, hybrid, and fully electric drives. However, this remains unconfirmed information based on an unnamed source. What Tata does confirm is that it is working on a “comprehensive vehicle development program with a leading Japanese automaker.”

It is likely that India itself will be a target market for future cars based on the new platform. Just last October, Honda identified India as its third most important global priority for future growth after North America and Japan, and announced plans to launch ten models in the country by 2030.

For Tata Technologies – a company part of the Tata conglomerate – the alleged deal is also lucrative. And there were hints of it: During the earnings call on May 4, 2026, the engineering services provider’s CEO and managing director, Warren Harris, announced that the company had signed a contract for an entire vehicle program with a Japanese automaker in April. In another call regarding the latest quarterly results on July 17, 2026, Harris returned to the contract and said, “Japanese OEMs have always been very selective in choosing their development partners, especially for programs of this strategic importance. The fact that a customer with whom we had no prior business relationship in this area has entrusted us with the full development of a vehicle program”

“That is an impressive achievement given the circumstances.”

Regarding Honda, President and CEO Toshihiro Mibe said at a press conference on May 14, 2026: “We will proactively utilize local development resources, including external ones, to bring new models to market as quickly as possible.” Mibe discussed strategic models tailored for the Indian market that Honda aims to launch by 2028, and his mention of external resources might also include Tata Technologies.

Background: Honda entered the Indian market in 1998 and built a good reputation for its premium vehicles, but struggled to establish itself as a major player due to limited success with more affordable models. The company produces only three models in India, two of which are gasoline or hybrid models over 4 meters long and thus subject to the highest 40 percent tax rate. Its market share has dropped from 7 percent a decade ago to less than 2 percent now.

It is already known that Honda plans to launch the “0 Alpha” as its first electric model in India by 2027.

bloomberg.com, investing.com (conference call), global.honda (PDF)

This article by Sagar Parikh originally appeared in our international edition, electrive.com.