After two failed attempts, could Tata be mounting another return to the Australian market?
Tata first launched here in 1996, lasting almost a decade before quietly shutting up shop in 2005 – before another attempt kicked off in 2013 by a different importer and distributor.
Now, around seven years after Tata closed its doors for a second time, evidence suggests the Indian automaker may be about to make a third attempt.
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CarExpert has unearthed trademark filings by Tata for the ‘Styzor’ and ‘Ladaq’ names with government agency IP Australia, suggesting the trademarks could be nameplates for potential future models to be launched here.
Following the success of Chinese car companies in Australia, along with an increasing presence from Indian rival Mahindra and other Indian-made vehicles from Suzuki, Fusion Automotive – the Australian importer and distributor, owned by Walkinshaw Group – may feel the stars are aligning to bring the Tata name back.
Not including several utes and trucks, Tata currently has around nine passenger vehicles on sale in India – ranging from small cars to family SUVs – with a selection of petrol, diesel, and electric powertrains.
While global trademark filings are not unusual – even if the company does not have a presence in a particular market – what makes this unusual is that the Styzor name was originally trademarked overseas in early 2022.
However, these latest trademark applications were submitted in Australia in March 2026 under Class 12, which is the designation for vehicle model names.
The last time Tata registered a model name in Australia was August 2013.
Like Japan, the UK, Thailand, and South Africa, India is one of the world’s few right-hand drive markets with an automotive manufacturing base – making the importation of Tata vehicles here a more straightforward process, provided the company can meet strict Australian design rules.
Many here may know Tata for its entry-level Xenon utes that were sold here via Fusion Automotive between 2013 and 2019, but its parent company is a global powerhouse, with financial and commercial entities already operating in Australia – and the Indian powerhouse is also the owner of Jaguar Land Rover.
MORE: 25 years of failures – The car brands that didn’t succeed in Australia, Part II