Tata Cars

Brand Overview : One of the largest carmakers in India, Tata Motors was already an established manufacturer of trucks, buses and commercial vehicles. With over 3,500 touchpoints, 250 dealerships and five manufacturing facilities across India, Tata Motors has the third largest sales and service network after Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. The Indian carmaker has a prominent presence overseas as well, with assembly facilities in other Asian and African countries, with it having sales and service operations in European and Middle-East nations too. Tata Motors is a mass-market car and SUV brand which offers a wide range of compact cars and mid-size SUVs in the sub-Rs 40 lakh segment. It is also currently the country’s largest maker of electric vehicles, a category which is considered the future of mobility around the world.

Key Milestones In India : While Tata Motors was an established name in the auto industry as a maker of heavy commercial vehicles, the homegrown brand entered the passenger vehicle category in 1991 with the Sierra, a three-door midsize SUV. A ladder-on-frame lifestyle SUV, the Tata Sierra was joined in 1992 by the Tata Estate station wagon, which was heavily inspired by the Mercedes-Benz W124 station wagon. Tata Motors was one of the first automakers in India to explore the potential of SUVs and MPVs in the country. In 1994, the Tata Sumo was launched, the brand’s first-ever three-row MPV, and in 1998, the Tata Safari was introduced, the automaker’s first three-row SUV. In 1999, Tata Motors launched its first-ever monocoque frame-based passenger car, the Indica hatchback, India’s first-ever fully-indigenous passenger car. The Tata Indica became a hit due to its practicality and the option of a frugal diesel engine but suffered from quality niggles. Tata Motors was quick to address the initial concerns, and launched an updated version of the hatchback, the Indica V2, in 2000. In the first half of the 2010s, Tata Motors expanded its product lineup by launching multiple iterations of the Indica, including sedans like Indigo, Indigo XL (long wheelbase version of Indigo) and Indigo CS (sub-four-metre version of Indigo) and Indigo Marina station wagon. The lineup was also joined by new-generation cars like Indica Vista and Indigo Manza. Tata Motors also entered into a joint venture with Fiat for the distribution of Fiat cars like Punto and Linea through Tata’s authorised outlets. This joint venture also allowed Tata Motors to have access to Fiat’s diesel engine and transmission technologies. In 2008, Tata Motors grabbed headlines for a couple of reasons – the introduction of the Tata Nano, the then world’s cheapest car and the acquisition of Jaguar-Land Rover for $2.3 billion. A slightly more premium version of the Nano, called Tata Nano Europa, was launched in a few global markets in 2010, whereas the exports of India-spec Tata Nano began in late 2009 in African countries. By this time, Tata Motors also expanded its footprint in Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and the Philippines, while also launching the Tata Aria, the flagship three-row MPV. In 2014, Tata Motors updated its lineup by replacing the Indica Vista with the Tata Bolt, Indigo Manza with Tata Zest and Safari with the Safari Storme, followed by the launch of more new-generation products like Tiago, Tigor, Hexa, Nexon and Altroz in the duration between 2015 and 2020. It was during this time that Tata Motors also entered full-scale production of electric vehicles, becoming one of the first mainstream car brands in India to do so.

Product Range And Segments : Tata Motors has one of the most versatile product lineups among all carmakers operating in India. The range starts with the Tiago hatchback and its sedan derivative, the Tigor, both of which are available in petrol and all-electric versions. Then there are compact SUVs like Punch and Nexon, along with the premium hatchback, the Tata Altroz. While the Nexon and Altroz are available in petrol and diesel versions, the Punch and Nexon are also available in electric versions. All these sub-four-metre cars from Tata Motors are also available with CNG variants. The lineup of mid-size SUVs from Tata Motors includes Curvv SUV-coupe, Harrier and Safari. While the Harrier and Safari are available only with a diesel engine, the Tata Curvv is offered with petrol, diesel and electric powertrains.
 
Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) : Tata Motors made a masterstroke move by shifting its focus to making cars with strong build quality that are capable of withstanding big-impact crashes. The first big outcome of this move was the achievement of a commendable 5-star rating by Tata Nexon in crash tests conducted by Global NCAP, becoming the first made-in-India car to do so. Since then, Tata Motors has been rolling out safer cars – while Tiago and Tigor have secured 4-star ratings, the rest of the entire lineup has secured 5-star ratings in crash tests. Besides being high on safety and build quality, Tata cars and SUVs are also known for their spacious cabins, sturdy ride quality and well-tuned suspensions. In recent times, Tata Motors has also made its cars and SUVs available in several well-differentiated variants with thoughtfully integrated features in all of them.
 
Technology And Innovation : The initial Tata Motors cars and SUVs had reliable but crude petrol and diesel engines, which were low on refinement. The joint venture with Fiat helped Tata to offer a more durable 1.3-litre diesel engine for its range of compact cars, including Indica Vista, Indigo Manza, Bolt and Zest. However, with the arrival of Bolt and Zest, Tata Motors also introduced its new range of indigenously developed powertrains, the Revotron petrol and Revotorq diesel. This range was further expanded in new-generation cars like Tiago, Tigor, Nexon, Altroz and Punch in different sizes and variations. The new family of turbo-petrol and diesel engines have also debuted in the Tata Curvv SUV-Coupe. Meanwhile, the flagship Harrier and Safari continue to outsource their engine from Fiat and automatic transmission from Hyundai.
 
Sustainability And Future Goals : Being India’s largest carmaker in the space of electric mobility, Tata Motors has pioneered electric vehicles in the mass market passenger car space. With its current crop of compact EVs and its expansion plans of introducing electric midsize SUVs, Tata Motors is eyeing strengthening its position as the largest EV maker in India.  
 
Customer Perception And Competitors : With the shift towards making safer cars for India, the customer perception towards Tata Motors has also changed drastically. With best-in-class safety ratings, spacious cabins and equipment list, the Tata cars and SUVs have become top picks among several customers, helping Tata Motors to be one of the top four carmakers in India. The entry-level Tiago hatchback has small cars from Maruti Suzuki in its crosshairs, whereas the Tigor compact sedan and Altroz premium hatchback competition from Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Honda. Meanwhile, the monocoque SUVs including Punch, Nexon and Curvv face the most significant competition from multiple brands like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra, Honda, Toyota, MG, Kia, Renault, Citroen, Nissan, Volkswagen and Skoda. The flagship Harrier and Safari SUVs compete with similarly-priced SUVs from brands like Mahindra, Jeep and MG.
 
Closing Thoughts : While Tata Motors had a rough start in making passenger vehicles, the homegrown carmaker has come a long way and is now a prominent maker of modern cars high on safety and technology. With a keen focus on electric mobility and a well-diversified lineup of electric vehicles, Tata Motors has a bright future and a head-start among all carmakers.