Team-BHP - Tata developing a premium hatchback, the Altroz. Edit: Launched at 5.29 lakh.

Tata Motors is falling short of market expectations, they had advantage in the sub-4 meter segment with indigo CS, wherein they decided not to upgrade the product / facelift at regular intervals and made way for DeZire, Amaze, i10Grand and now Aspire. This segment has now gone out of their hands; they can try their heart out like the way they have done with Nano, I see limited success opportunity.

Cross / compact SUV segment is also getting crowded with products from several manufacturer including the upcoming compact SUV from MSIL.

The biggest issue is that though Tata is good at doing experiments, they have never covered entire spectrum / market before figuring out what can work
- Nano: what were they chewing before Nano was labelled as cheapest car ! Tata Motors - aspiration and cheap, they don't go hand-in-hand. Car in India is aspired however cheap it may be.
- Aria: New product, not carefully presented - they could not define if it was an SUV or MUV and when you have players like Mahindra and Toyota standing on either side of podium, you have to be very careful. The sales collapsed before even the buyers could discover that there was a new launch from Tata Motors.

Bolt: Pricing (against Zest) and Resemblance (with Indica) - Do I need to say anything?
Zest: Bad launch planning; they should have launched with Diesel Autobox right at the beginning, which they didn't

The proposed new premium hatch from Tata Motors, well I am keeping my fingers crossed !

Tata, I don't want to say pull up your pants, its been quite late already.

Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by i74js (Post 3720814)

Well, isn't hindsight genius! There are plenty of things that could've, would've, should've been done right at first shot. Fact of the matter is, the Indian consumer is an emotional purchaser. So it takes a long time for a brand to enter the Indian consciousness, once done, its a merry way to the bank. Ask Maruti and Hyundai. Even MSIL flops sell more than Tata's bestsellers! How's that for a perspective.

Having said that, Tata's could have done many things better back in the 2000s and only they are to blame for not adapting quickly. However, I believe they have signaled their intent through Bolt Zest and may I dare add the Nano Gen-X. Homegrowns have always been looked down upon by the 'discerning' Indian consumer (don't call 'em cheap, eh). Mahindra has come up beautifully, the way they have managed their products and through them, the brand! The behemoth called Tata Motors will also have to sock up and 'rise' up to the challenge!

Mod Note: Please do NOT use acronyms (e.g. TaMo) when referring to cars or manufacturers. Tata Motors = Tata Motors, nothing else. Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Rationalist (Post 3719687)

Why can't they design something as clean as a Polo?

I love the Polo's styling myself, but will be the first to admit that a clean design like that needs a heavyweight badge to sell. Examples = (Skoda) Octavia, (BMW) 5-Series, (VW) Jetta etc. The first Accord in India wore clean clothes. Not even the Honda badge could rescue it from drowning.

I doubt Tata will ever be able to sell a car that looks as understated as the Polo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by srishiva (Post 3720734)

They should try to do something in the crossover segment with various sized vehicles.

I completely agree. Tata needs to target different / untapped segments. If it tries to sell a Swift-like hatchback at the same price as a Swift, or a compact sedan priced like the Xcent, it's going to sink. See how Mahindra has successfully found its calling among UVs.

But Tata needs to become fast & lean if it wants to explore untapped segments before others.

TATA had a chance to bring in a fresh face in the name of Prima. I'm not sure what was the reason for the project to be shelved, but if it would have released, I'm sure it could have been a great competition to Ventos, Vernas and even the Honda City. The bolt still looks like a souped up Indica which is not to me taste. But I agree it is completely a different and a great car under the sheets.

Every manufacturer launches a new product in 6 months and takes home a boatload of bookings on account of 'new features' and 'new stylish looks'. Tata Motors is slow to realize that it needs to follow the game in matching Honda and Hyundai for a model to model market share. Glad to know that they are looking to launch premium hatchback. However, the current set of dealers are highly unprofessional to try and capture this target audience. I am speaking from my own experience at the Tata dealerships in Delhi when my brother bought a Zest XT. The staff seem to believe that they are actually doing some sort of a favour by selling a Tata vehicle to the customer.

The mindset still remains unchanged. Tata needs to focus on dealerships if it has to become a credible force in the Indian market. All these statements and social media outreach campaigns will not help if the people on the ground do not change.

How do they differentiate from the Bolt then? Or is the Bolt petrol being shelved? I believe this proposed new car would get a bigger Revotron heart with a 6 speed MT, and an AT. That would be a substantial competition to the Baleno and i20.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdhawan15 (Post 4004497)

However, the current set of dealers are highly unprofessional to try and capture this target audience. I am speaking from my own experience at the Tata dealerships in Delhi when my brother bought a Zest XT. The staff seem to believe that they are actually doing some sort of a favour by selling a Tata vehicle to the customer.

I agree to this. I visited Tata about 15 months ago for the Zest or Bolt, with my old Indigo for exchange. They understood my needs, and advised me that a buy a Vista TDi! Upon further pressing, they showed me a Zest and explained its features. They checked my Indigo by their technicians and made one phone call to me, quoting the price. It was ridiculously low. I said no to them in that call itself. Thereafter none of them contacted me for the Zest ever again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585 (Post 4004502)

Thereafter none of them contacted me for the Zest ever again.

Well, they will attend customers only if they are not busy checking their phones or if the Bolt parked in the showroom is not full of customer care executives looking to relax in an AC car. It is absolutely horrendous. Why doesn't Tata Motors go for surprise checks at its dealers' showrooms? I mean, you are looking to sell a product upwards of 8 Lakhs and your staff does not even have the basic etiquette !!! And, this feedback is coming from someone who has been a loyal Tata customer. Tata dealers continue to rob Tata Motors of their deserved place in the Indian automotive industry. I hope someone from Tata Motors reads this piece and take it up with higher-ups. This is the current situation in Delhi, and I am afraid to think about smaller town dealers and their attitudes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585 (Post 4004502)

I believe the Bolt was just a stop gap arrangement to keep things moving forward. Ideally, they should shelve it once the new car is ready as the Bolt is not bringing in any good numbers for them.

There is a big opportunity for Tata in the premium hatch segment provided they address the perception issue on an urgent basis. I am sure the car will be good value for money considering the new design language from the company.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravindra M (Post 4004478)

This won't come as a surprise.

By 2019, Tata Motors is all set to become #3 in Indian passenger car market. To achieve this, it must be done.

I don't think it's too difficult to achieve the number 3 spot in India especially considering the excellent line-up of products the company has - Hexa, Nexon and the Tiago compact sedan. As of May 2016, the manufacturer at the No. 3 spot dispatches 18,xxx cars per month. IMO, these 3 new cars + the successful Tiago have the capability to surpass Honda in the time to come.

As far as the premium hatchback goes, it isn't a surprise that Tata WILL enter that segment. IMO 2019 is an ideal target too. By then, the company will hope to change its perception in the minds of the Indian customers, which is extremely crucial for the acceptance of this product in the market.

Bolt & Zest? A small makeover - a different cosmetic design than the IMPACT theme -> Beige stripped down interiors -> Uber! These too will keep the cash registers ringing. It's high time the Indica and Indigo rest in peace.

Hope Tata proves me wrong again but I expect this offering to flop as most of their recent launches have since the issues are many fold which they do not seem to address head on-

1. Given that their new products are well made, it is the after sales that is patchy in terms of servicing and customer orientation. They have to detach the sales and service arms of the private car sales from the commercial cars.

Even the cars should be clearly earmarked for taxi and private sale so that there is some premium feel while buying a Tata car by an individual private user.

2. Even if they launch a premium hatch, the brand value of Tata will not help it achieve the numbers since Tata cars are mostly associated with a taxi and one would not plonk their money into something like that when people have competent alternatives such as i20 and Baleno and other mini SUVs which which fight for the same space at a slight premium like Brezza and EcoSport.

Premium hatchback from TATA would be a product to watch.
I am hoping it will have all the bells and whistles from existing competitors plus a few segment first's.

It surely will look good, one can expect that after Tiago.
The only big thing I hope they achieve is to reduce weight. Tiago is as heavy as a i20.:Shockked:

I am quite happy to see things changing in positive way at dealership level at least in Pune.

Best of luck TATA:thumbs up