Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), under the Dutch Ministry of External Affairs, has expressed its interest to set up the assembly facility of Tata Motors for manufacturing electric cars in Netherlands. The Dutch government, which is running a programme aimed at converting one million cars into the electric version by 2020, is also looking forward to electric cars from Tata Motors to hit the European market.

A Dutch delegation, which was in Pune to attract Indian automobile industry to start ventures and research and development operations in Netherlands, called on the officials of Tata Motors here on Wednesday.

NFIA executive director Robert V Schipper, who is heading the delegation, said it is keen to provide all assistance to automobile companies to start its operations in Netherlands. “Indian cars will be the next wave in Europe’s auto market. Tata Motors has already announced its plan to set up a manufacturing facility in Europe. We have given an expression of interest to Tata Motors for starting its facility. Europe is going to be the largest base for electric cars in the coming years and big OEMs from India like Tata Motors can tap the segment.”

Last month, Tata Motors’ wholly-owned European subsidiary, Tata Motors European Technical Centre, had availed itself of a loan of £10 million (Rs78 crore) from the UK government for its Rs 195-crore electric car project. The loan under the UK government’s Automotive Assistance Programme (AAP) was for developing and manufacturing the Tata Indica Vista Electric Vehicle in the UK with an investment of £25 million (about Rs 195 crore).

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