[VeluM]

Originally Posted by GTO

They are missing in the compact SUV space, and the Vitara Brezza has shown there's still room for growth here.

Tata has prioritised the Nexon for first release this year, I believe.

Originally Posted by GTO

Hardly any players in the <10 lakh compact SUV segment. There's other opportunities too - say a modern people mover at 10 lakhs (since the Innova Crysta has gotten so expensive).

The Hexa will be more affordable than the Innova, though you're right in that it is unlikely to be priced under 10L. While they failed in the positioning of the Aria, I think they'll do better with the Hexa because it looks the part. Quality and features are up there, so they are working on this.

Originally Posted by GTO

The XUV500 is still doing between 2,000 - 3,000 sales / month....that's impressive for a premium SUV from a not-so-premium brand. What is Tata's answer? A Safari Storme with a 20 year old body?

There are reports of two SUVs (code named Q501/502) being built on the previous Freelander platform, so they are addressing this too.

Source

Obviously they aren't going to pull the Safari Storme off the market just because it isn't selling enough. It is selling, and that's enough until the newer models are released. There is a rumoured facelift or interior-lift coming for the Safari Storme, but I don't have a source or any verification.

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Hyundai were never considered as a cheap car manufacturer. so they do not have to do it. santro was a premum car compared to 800s and altos of the time, then came Getz, Verna, i20 which were all premium to the competion of their time. So they never needed to seperate the segments.

Hyundai is still a cheap car manufacturer in Europe and America, and only started building a brand image with the Genesis in America and "premium" hatches like the i20 and i30 in Europe.

in the eyes of European purchasers of luxury vehicles, Hyundai sedans have been perceived as having a poor image and unreliable durability compared with its rivals.

The planned launch of Genesis comes at a time when Hyundai is striving to shake off its poor-brand image, known for generous warranties and low prices.

Source

Hyundai India came in with the right product at the right time. Initially they had a pretty basic Santro to offer us. While well built and reliable, it couldn't really be called a premium vehicle.

With the i20 they practically created the segment, which bolstered their image and confidence. They had a good product with some flaws (ride and handling), but quality was never a problem, so customers have accepted that Hyundai can charge a premium.

Tata has a steeper hill to climb, as expectations are already low and any news about their cars (like TBHP's infamous "already on sale in our classifieds" Facebook post) is taken to be because of the product being poor. However, as we can see with the Tiago, people will still buy Tata as long as the product is good. They will hit a lower ceiling if service continues to be poor, but that's a different discussion.

[ashutoshb]

Originally Posted by GTO

There's other opportunities too - say a modern people mover at 10 lakhs (since the Innova Crysta has gotten so expensive). The XUV500 is still doing between 2,000 - 3,000 sales / month....that's impressive for a premium SUV from a not-so-premium brand. What is Tata's answer? A Safari Storme with a 20 year old body?

Overdrive article talks about that too.

Tata is developing two MPVs, code-named X601 and X602. Targeted at the utilitarian market and will essentially replace the Sumo and the Movus.
Expected to wear a more SUV-ish design. New engines in sub-2.0-litre capacities expected.

Also developing, two SUVs, code-named Q501 and Q502. Will be positioned above the Safari and Hexa. Will be based on Freelander 2 platform. New range of engines and gearboxes expected.

All expected to be launched b/w 2017 - 20.

Source: Overdrive

[Latheesh]

Compact Hatch - Tiago already in the market

Compact Sedan - Kite 5
Compact SUV - Nexon
Big SUV/MUV - Hexa

All are premium looking comparing to competition, and will hit market within few quarters

and there is Nano replacement Europa/Pelican

MUVs - X601 and X602 - Under development (thanks @ashutoshb for sharing the link)
SUVs - Q501 and Q502 - Under development

Now new X451 premium hatch under development

I think they are doing everything they can, all the best Tata Motors.

But they need to launch Hexa, Kite5 Sedan and Nexon as early as possible so that momentum created by Tiago is not lost.

In between they can also think of bringing old Tata Prima lux sedan concept to life with necessary design changes

[octane_100]

One way Tata may be able to beat the competition is by giving a more spacious car. Say an i30 sized hatch and a Cruze sized sedan for i20 and Verna prices respectively. Of course, this is assuming they keep up the quality levels as showcased in the Nexon.

The Vista and Manza were really spacious cars, so I don't think it can't be done!

[1100D]

Instead of playing Catch up with the others, I guess what Tata should revisit is the zone where it did enjoy a fair degree of success, Launching a new segment.

They enjoyed it with the Indica (it was bigger, prettier than anything else available at that pricepoint at that time) , the Indigo CS and also the Tata Ace.


Am just thinking, maybe a small Offroader with lockable body (and ofcourse the 4WD hardware) or even small Rear wheel drive sedan like they already had plans for in the 90's the stillborn Magna (refer it in the first post of this thread.

[RSR]

I don't believe the two artist's impressions from Overdrive are going to be anything close to the real car. The impressions look like a mix & match of different elements from the Bolt's front, Tiago's side and Nexon's rear (tail lamp area). The source must have told them the X451 will feature the new "Impact" design language, and Overdrive's over enthusiastic artist simply conjured up a 4m long Tiago with elements taken from the Bolt & Nexon.

If the car is being built on a new platform, then the designers can start from a clean sheet of paper and will not be constrained by the dimensions and/or proportions of an existing product/platform, as with the Bolt, Tiago and Nexon. So the X451 would most probably look completely different from any existing Tata product with the front grille and logo being the only links to their current range.

It's possible that the X451 will turn out to be quite a stunner. It'd better be one, if it's going to take on established rivals in the 4m premium hatchback space.

If I were a decision-maker at Tata though, I'll throw out the 4m restriction and ask the designers to create a completely new large premium hatchback segment with a car in the class of European family hatchbacks such as the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus etc.

[IshaanIan]

I love the new effort TaMo is putting into the automotive sector. The Taigo and Nexon have shown that good design, features and quality of materials are now a standard affair from Tata. That is good since these are the most attractive qualities of a car that most people will perceive. I will assume that Tata is going to make improvements in the quality and A.S.S. departments as well. That leaves just one more thing I'm left wanting for. Competent engines. To take on the best like Hyundai (refinement from their diesel motors is unparalleled) and Maruti (fiat multijets are strong and reliable, petrol motors are refined), and even Honda (for a new engine, their 1.5 diesel is a commendable effort, Vtec petrol needs no introduction), Tata needs more competitive drive train packages. Couple all of that with the brand's current ambition and thirst for success shown in their lower margins that they are willing to go with, I believe number 3 spot is definitely manageable and they will bring a lot for the competitors to learn in terms of design, and quality of materials used. Bring it on Tata!

[silverado]

Above all things, TATA has to launch it at right time.

They are yet to launch Nexon, while I understand they are trying double hard to avoid niggles, but they are losing time in process.
While nexon will fill in sub 4m space, Tata still has scope to come out with something similar to Ertiga ( A small 7 seater ), based on Zest platform maybe?

[searacer932]

Hyundai launched their premium hatchback product i20 in 2009. TML thinking of launching a premium product hatchback in 2019!! How far is TML behind or should I say how far is Hyundai is ahead of others? By the time this comes, I am quite sure we will have the next generation i20 on the road. So, this car shouldn't be design to compete with Baleno or the current i20 but rather the next generation ones. And mind you, Hyundai were forced to come up with an i20 as their previous hatchback Getz was decimated by Swift. Once Swift was considered premium and now it's competing with the Grandi10s and the Tiagos. God bless competition!

[Aaron:)]

Originally Posted by searacer932

Once Swift was considered premium and now it's competing with the Grandi10s and the Tiagos. God bless competition!

The Tiago competes with the old i10 and Celerio, not the Swift and Grand i10. It's one segment below these cars.

[romeomidhun]

Now, the twist in the tail!

Source: http://www.oncars.in/car-news/tata-x...-2017-18/11178

Tata X451 is a 'micro-SUV', and not a premium hatchback. This will be launched in 2017-18. This new micro SUV will be slotted below the Nexon SUV.

[veyron_head]

Tata motors does have a promising product pipeline. In fact, their existing line up is itself pretty good. The Tiago and Zest speak volumes about how far Tata have come in the last few years. The bolt again is an understated, but a great car.

But, they don't seem to realize that it is their brand perception that is killing their sales. They badly need a complete re-branding. It is personally disheartening for me to see their promising cars not finding buyers. so, Here is my prescription:

a.) Do a complete rebranding on the lines of Hero motors (though the purpose here is different, I am talking about the scale). Have a new logo, Make the customer forget the taxi image once for all.

b.) Hive off the commercial vehicle segment into a separate unit. Differentiate the branding, right from the logo, of the commercial and passenger segments. It would even help if the yellow board passenger cars like indica are also sold through the commercial vehicle showrooms. The cars can be differentiated by offering a no-frills stripped down version for the taxi segment.

c.) Finally, Fix the achilles heel - the sales and support network. If my recent experience posted here is anything to go by, they still have a long way to go!

With their current product portfolio and their promising pipeline, I don't think it is impossible to attain the no:3 spot, but not without fixing the bottlenecks.

[MunnabhaiMBBS]

X451 (Dolphin) is all set to be position in between the Tiago and Nexon crossover. It may have a crossover body shell equipped with car like features.

It is expected to compete with Mahindra KUV100, Maruti Ignis, Baleno and Hyundai i20. TATA has even set the ambitious production target of 25000 - 35000 units of X451 per annum. It is supposed to hit the markets in 2017-18.

Source : http://www.rushlane.com/tata-x451-pr...-12200259.html

[ksameer1234]

Originally Posted by MunnabhaiMBBS

TATA has even set the ambitious production target of 25000 - 35000 units of X451 per annum.

This ambitious target translates to 2000 - 3000 units per month. Unless a typo, this precisely reflects the problem with Tata. A car priced around 5-7 lakh not selling even 5000 units a month would be termed a slow mover.

Rather than going through the exercise of setting the bar so low, Tata should save the efforts of target setting altogether.

[singh.saab]

Digital mock up of the Tata X451 (code name) ahead of its launch in financial year 2017-18. If this is the ONE, then I think Tata have a winner in their stable provided they position it aggressively.

The Tata X451 will rival the Maruti Baleno, Hyundai i20, VW Polo and Honda Jazz. The design work of the X451 could be a collaboration of Tata’s three design centers (located in India, Italy and U.K.) with styling cues borrowed from the forthcoming Tata Nexon. The Tata X451 will be based on the Advanced Modular Platform (AMP).



Source : Indianautosblog