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Following the runaway success of the Renault Duster and Ford Ecosport, Tata Motors is seriously evaluating the option of launching a sports utility vehicle (SUV) which will compete in the same space.
The auto major is also looking at launching a hybrid model for all its cars, Girish Wagh, senior vice-president, programme planning & project management, Tata Motors told Business Line.
“Despite the slowdown, some of the vehicles launched during the last 18 months have done extremely well, one of them being the soft-roader compact utility vehicle. We are not present in this category now. So, we are looking at launching one in this segment,” Wagh said. He said the high sales clocked by soft-roader compact utility vehicles was the reason for the auto sector recording a flat growth. “Without these off-roaders, the auto sector would have actually collapsed,” he pointed out.
Wagh who was one of the brains behind the launch of the popular Tata Ace as well as the Nano, said the company has been studying the market for sometime and has been evaluating several options for launching newer models. “We have drawn up a product plan till 2020 which will see us addressing most of the segments,” he said.
Wagh said Tata Motors is also evaluating the option of launching the hybrid version for each of the existing models. “We will bring in the kind of hybrid version which makes economic sense,” he said.
He pointed out that the CNG version of the Nano, the ‘emax’ has been very well received by the customers. With 76 grams of carbon dioxide emission, it is both priced-lower and cleaner than some of the hybrid versions available abroad, Wagh said.
Wagh said the new version of Nano (Nano Twist) has addressed several issues raised by customers. “For example, we had the feedback on noise, on ride, interiors and based on that, we kept making changes in the car,” he said.
He said the car now has a twin glovebox, a music system, Bluetooth connectivity and an electronic power assist steering. “For lack of these features, the younger generation never took the car very seriously.”
The Rs 1 lakh car is now a bigger and better car than before and its pricing too is competitive, he pointed out. “It is perhaps the smartest city car today.”
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