Until recently, Tata seemed to be the main victim as the likes of Hyundai, Kia and MG gained ground in a recovering Indian market. Suddenly though, things have taken a dramatic turn for the better. Can that be maintained?
August was a sensational month for Tata, wholesale deliveries surging by 154 per cent to 18,583 units versus the Indian market’s 20 per cent (234,142) year-on-year rise.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Last month’s result was enough to cement the brand into third place year-to date, well ahead of Mahindra (69,709) and Kia (67,968). Maruti (625,563) and Hyundai (220,524) are naturally secure in first and second positions even if the market leader saw its share dip to 48 per cent from the usual slightly more than 50 per cent.
Tata’s best sellers are the Tiago, Nexon and Altroz – each within the top 20 – with the Harrier and Tigor also making it into the top 50. Can the brand make this success last? The company does look at though it has changed its ways but the proof will be if the strategy of continuing to add fresh models continues into the 2020s.
One of the reasons why the Tiago has been so in demand recently was the announcement of a facelift earlier in 2020. Tata will probably update this small car in two year’s time before launching a successor in 2025. That model will be based on the ALFA architecture.
Launched in 2017, the Nexon had a facelift in January and there should be a second one in 2022 or 2023. The successor is due in 2025.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe ‘Blackbird’ project is for a small SUV, to be positioned below the Nexon. Expected to use the firm’s ALFA architecture, it it due on sale in the second half of 2021. Speculation suggests the model name might be Hornbill.
A concept version, called H2X, was revealed at the 2019 Geneva motor show. Another small Tata SUV concept premiered at the New Delhi auto expo in February this year. This, the HBX, was 3,840 mm long and had a wheelbase dimension of 2,450 mm. The production model is said to be very similar to HBX with features such as the 90-degree opening doors to be retained.
Another car previewed at last year’s Geneva show was the Altroz EV in prototype form. An updated version was displayed at this year’s New Delhi auto expo. The electric variant would be added “within 18 months”, Tata Motors chairman N Chandrasekaran told shareholders at the company’s AGM in July 2019.
The C segment isn’t a major one in the Indian market which is why Tata has never fully committed itself to launching a sedan in the 4.4-4.6 m long class. There are, however, indications that such a model is being engineered, pencilled in for launch in 2023.
Consistent with its convention of using birds’ names, the C segment model’s internal code is said to be Peregrine. The architecture will be ALFA. Adventurous styling should be expected and potentially, a low-roof four-door coupe in the style of the seventh generation Hyundai Avante/Elantra.
Reports for many other manufacturers’ future models are grouped in the OEM product strategy summaries section of just-auto.com.
Future platform intelligence
More detail on past, current and forthcoming models can be found in PLDB, the future vehicles database which is part of GlobalData’s Automotive Intelligence Center. That includes Tata vehicles not included in this report.
This is the first of three reports which look at key current and future models for Tata Motors. Next comes Jaguar and then Land Rover.
