Home grown auto major Tata Motors will go ahead with its planned investment of Rs 3,000 crore in the current financial year despite an economic slowdown to support growth in future.
“At Tata Motors we are talking about Rs 3,000 crore in this fiscal and that remains the same as far as our investment plans are concerned,” Tata Motors Managing Director Karl Slym told presspersons on the sidelines of the annual convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).
“This kind of environment causes us to make sure that we are not forsaking the future while trying to look after today. So, investment plans on new products that were committed by us continue to stand,” he added.
When asked if the company has revised its growth targets because of the adverse market conditions, Slym said: “There are always things to be hopeful about because they are in the automobile business, this is a passionate business and things like this don’t deter us…These actually energise us to think about new products, new initiatives to take to the market.”
The company is yet to take a decision on curtailing Hispano Carrocera’s operations due to the slowdown in Europe, especially in the Spanish market.
“We discussed it in the AGM but as far as Europe and Spanish operations are concerned it has been our agenda. No decision has been taken at the moment. We are just considering the best option for the business,” he added.
Hispano Carrocera, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, produces bus and coach bodywork in Spain and Morocco, with sales in several other countries of Europe.
Tata Motors is expecting an increase in passenger car sales in the festive season ahead at lesser scale compared with previous years.
“We expect to see a boom as we have always seen in this country as far as the festive season is concerned. But, looking at the trend, it will be lesser than last year,” Slym said adding that his company has managed to maintain market share in the segments it operates in the passenger cars.
“Unfortunately we are not in segments that have shown large growth last year and that’s a shame for us. Because we don’t have products in those segments. We want to make sure that we don’t miss these gaps in future,” he said.
The company also plans to give a push to its Nano car. “Nano is a small city car for us. We have got all the special attributes in Nano...its very important for us now to build on that,” Slym said.