Eyeing dominant position in SUV segment, Tata Motors plans to keep driving in new models, trims

Tata Motors plans to bring in new products, expand existing model lineups as it aims to retain dominant position in the SUV segment amid increasing competition from competing brands, according to a senior company official.

The auto major, which currently sells models like Punch, Nexon, Harrier and Safari, also plans to bring in additional trims and variants with feature enhancements in order to cater to the evolving customer requirements.

“We plan to further expand the SUV space by adding new nameplates/variants at regular intervals and expanding our consumer base. We plan on retaining the leading SUV brand position in India,” Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Vice President (Sales, Marketing and Customer Care) Rajan Amba told PTI in an interaction.

Currently, the company has a strong presence in the SUV space with Punch, Nexon, Harrier and the new flagship Safari doing well in their respective segments, he noted.

The company aims to further strengthen its product portfolio in terms of competitiveness, and a comprehensive set of powertrain and technology options, Mr. Amba said.

Besides, the company plans to continue to differentiate on design, safety and driving pleasure, keeping the customer excited in its products, he added.

With these interventions, the automaker plans to sell more SUVs this fiscal as compared with 2.22 lakh units it dispatched in FY21, he noted.

The overall SUV product contribution to Tata Motors’ sales in April-June quarter this fiscal stood at 67%, higher than the industry penetration of 40%, Mr. Amba said.

In order to further bolster its presence in the SUV segment, the company has introduced Jet Edition encompassing Nexon, Harrier and Safari, priced between ₹12.13 lakh and ₹22.75 lakh respectively.

Inspired by ‘Business Jets’, the Jet edition trims come with top of the line features along with an exclusive exterior and interior colour themes.

Tata Motors already offers Kaziranga Edition trims of Punch, Nexon, Harrier and Safari.

It also offers Gold Edition of Safari and Dark editions of Altroz, Nexon, Harrier and Safari.

Mr. Amba said the Jet Edition range would also strengthen the company’s SUV portfolio as has been done by the earlier introduced special edition trims.

Mr. Amba noted that the first quarter of the current fiscal has been a record-breaking period for the automaker as it sold over 1.3 lakh vehicles.

“With SUVs driving the growth trend, we have been successful in maintaining our leadership position in all the sub-segments,” he added.

On sales expectations from the festive season, Mr. Amba stated: “We are expecting strong sales this year, starting with Onam. We have continued to introduce new products and variants at regular intervals, resulting in the sustenance of consumer excitement for our products.”

While the demand outlook is very strong, in the last two years supply side is trying to catch up, due to part shortages for various reasons, he added when asked about the chip supply situation.

“We expect this gap to continue even in the festive period,” he added.