‘WE ARE ON THE ROAD TO THE CZARS OF CARS
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nano CMYK CMYK MOTORS ◗ Jul 27, 1980 The Times of India ◗ Jun 7, 1984 The Times of India THE CZARS OF CARS Sierra. Estate. Indigo. Indica Manza. Magna. Aria. Jaguar. Nano. Pixel. The car-ousel is wide and varied. News. Views. Reviews the BCCL way ◗ Oct 18, 2004 The Economic Times >> TATA MOTORS Company Of The Year THERE was very little competition for Tata Motors. Jury members were unanimous that the Tata group-controlled commercial vehicle and passenger car maker has made a major impact with its historic turnaround and the recent acquisition of Daewoo Commercial Vehicle. Automobile industry peers too had good things to say about Tata Motors. Jury member Rahul Bajaj, CMD of Bajaj Auto, told ET after the jury meeting: “It’s been a case of classic turnaround. From record losses a few years ago, Tata Motors has bounced back to become one of the most profitable private sector companies. Not only has it been able to maintain its pre-eminent position in commercial vehicles, the company has made its presence felt in the passenger car segment by taking on competition from Maruti and Hyundai Motors. The acquisition of Daewoo Commercial Vehicle has been a very bold and forthright move.” ◗ Jan 20, 2006 The Times of India >> Design Of The Year Recognising and rewarding excellence in Indian automobile design – this was what the inaugural Apollo Tyres – Top Gear Design Awards were all about. Design legends such as Ercole Spada, Tom Tjaarda, and Marzia Gandini, daughter of the great Marcello Gandini and a design expert in her own right was there too with Frederic Guihal and Alexandre Legedre who represent two of France’s best auto magazines. The other jury members included Rajesh Mirajkar and Gautam Sen, editor of Top Gear. Design of the year – Commercial Vehicles TATA ACE When it comes to commercial vehicles its usually function that is more important than form. The sensible use of materials is also an important aspect for commercial vehicles.The contenders for this award were the Mahindra Alfa Champion, Tata Ace, Tata Novus, Tata Globus and Starbus.One look at the scoresheets revealed the story, though. The innovative Ace was on the top of everyone's list and took the award, but by a fairly narrow margin. The Starbus was a close second and the Novus came in third. All contenders from Tata! ◗ Jul 6, 2007 The Times of India >> EXCELLENCE IN COST MANAGEMENT Tata Motors has won the National Award for Excellence in Cost Management for the year 2006. The annual award is conferred by the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (ICWAI). Tata Motors bagged the first prize in the ‘Manufacturing’ category in the private sector. A 17- member jury led by the former Chief Justice of India, J S Verma, chose the winners after a comprehensive selection process. ◗ Dec 25, 2009 The Times of India >> ZIGWHEELS.COM VIEWER’S CHOICE AWARDS Even before the Nano was launched, we knew it was going to be a crowd puller. The car had already generated its share of hype before its launch and our online audience couldn’t wait for it. True enough, the moment our Nano package went online at the day of its launch, all our viewership records were demolished, and to good effect at that. The queries and comments were almost unanimous – the crowds loved India's latest people's mover, one that promised proper personal mobility with a roof to millions. ◗ Dec 24, 2010 The Economic Times >> Tata Motors’ Nano design receives international award MUMBAI: Tata Motors on Thursday said its small car ‘Nano’ has received the good design award for 2010, by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design with the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. The award for the Tata Nano has come in the category of transportation, Tata Motors said in a statement. The Tata Nano’s design is such that it offers an incredibly spacious passenger compartment which can comfortably seat four adults. With a length of just 3.1 metres, width of 1.5 metres and height of 1.6 metres, Nano has the smallest exterior footprint for a car in India but is 21 per cent more spacious than the smallest car available today. –PTI It started by my spending a lot of time doodling at boring board meetings – Ratan Tata on the gleam that later became the Nano AWARDS & RECOGNITION >> TATA MOTORS MAY HAVE SHOCKED THE MARKET WITH A LARGER-THAN-EXPECTED LOSS OF RS 2,500 CRORE ON A CONSOLIDATED BASIS, BUT THE COMPANY IS CONFIDENT OF TURNING THINGS AROUND. NON- EXECUTIVE VICE-CHAIRMAN RAVI KANT TOLD ET NOW’S SENIOR EDITORR SRIDHARAN, THAT THE COMPANY SHOULD BE BACK ON TRACK SOON. EXCERPTS: In the past few months there’s been a steady improvement in sales figures at Tata Motors. Do you see a turnaround happening? Yes. Last year was quite terrible because of shortage of retail financing. Many important banks withdrew all of a sudden. October-December quarter was bad. Since then monthon-month we have been improving. All the segments have more or less turned back to normalcy, except the heavy-truck segment. It is also improving, but it’s slow. When do you see a recovery happening in commercial vehicles? Except heavy trucks, the recovery is already there. In the small-truck segment, we have done much better. It has grown over 20 per cent. This is mainly on account of the new truck Ace. We have some availability problems for some parts. Otherwise, we could do even better. Tata Motors’ losses for the last year at Rs 2,500 crore were way above what most analysts had factored in. What contributed to these losses? A month ago we had announced standalone results. We showed profits of little more than Rs 1,000 crore. On a consolidated business, we turned out a loss. Mainly it came from Jaguar Land Rover and less profits made by other subsidiary companies. It was the first time we were declaring our consolidated results after taking over JLR. Your interest outgo at Rs 1,900 crore seems a little steep. Are you planning to reduce your interest burden through some debt restructuring? The focus is on availability of money rather than the cost of money. It is difficult to go for equity at this stage. In a bridge loan also, when we tried to go for equity issue, as the market had tanked, it had to be saved by our major shareholder Tata Sons. They had to take the entire burden. It was not the right time to raise equity. Hence, the only way to do was to go for debt, and debt has a cost. Therefore, at this stage, the focus is on making money available. That means no capital expenditure, no product launches for the moment. No. That is not correct. We have tried to reduce our capital expenses substantially. Most of it is for adding to the capacity and less to do with product launches. We have ensured that in Jaguar Land Rover and in Tata Motors or any other company, we do not impact the product plan. Ratan Tata has said that Tata Motors mistimed the purchase of JLR... What would have been a more appropriate price? Mr Tata didn’t mention price. He just mentioned time. When we made the acquisition we didn’t know about the global meltdown... I think we paid the right price considering the fact that this company made a profit of $500 million in 2007. It made a profit of nearly $450 million in the first half of 2008. You can’t say that it was overpriced. In fact, out of the $2.3 billion that we paid for it, $600 million came back into the pension funds. Ford only got $1.7 billion. ◗ Jul 10, 2009 The Economic Times ‘WE ARE ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY’ TATA MOTORS’ RAVI KANT IS UPBEAT ON NANO’S SUCCESS AND IS CONFIDENT THAT JLR WILL START MAKING PROFITS IN TWO YEARS ◗ Oct 26, 2010 The Economic Times WHEN BRANDS UNLOCK VALUE You are managing a portfolio of diverse global brands. Some like Jaguar and Land Rover from developed markets are now entering emerging markets and some homegrown brands (such as the Ace and the Indica electric) are entering developed markets. How do you manage all of this? Forster: From my point of view, Ace is not a brand; it is a ‘designation’. There is only one brand that is the Tatas. Marketers are somewhat puzzled separating the two. I try and discourage everybody from thinking of Ace as a brand. Ace is a very good model designation standing for a unique set of capability, but lives under the Tata brand. Customers are not attracted by pure financial or economic desire. Ultimately you have to be commercially astute and ambitious, but if that is your primary driver, customers are not attracted to that proposition. This specific element of putting long- term brand values before short-term interest is important. The more you do that, the stronger a brand develops. The value proposition of the other two brands — Jaguar and Land Rover — is very different, but the same basic principles hold true. Land Rover is a better understood, somewhat a stronger brand, delivering a unique set of values. It gives people the feeling that when you drive this car nothing can happen. Some refer to it as a fortress on wheels...a car that gives a feeling of safety and security. These brand values perfectly fit with the Tatas. Is there an element of force fit in the JLR-Tata Motor relationship? Forster: There is no force fit. These brands have different strengths and value propositions. It is a positive resonance and in certain elements a `fit’, but there is no force fitting. Telang: Tata is a big brand in India but many in China and Latin America would not know the Tatas. The Land Rover brand must continue as the word denotes a value. We must not disturb that. Over time, if the Tata brand is stronger (globally), we can consider (a change). When Coca-Cola took over Thums Up, they realised that the brand value of Thums Up is much stronger, and there is no point destroying it. Coke and Thums Up continue. Another example: when Toyota wanted to get into the luxury car segment, they thought that while Toyota is well trusted in the mid size segment, it might destroy the value for the upper end. So, Lexus (was born and) is sold through different channels. Therefore the underlying value of both the brands (Tata and Land Rover) — trust, integrity, and delivering value is a good fit. How important is it that global consumers recognise that JLR is a part of the Tata family? Forster: Land Rover and Jaguar customers are buying JLR cars and not Tata cars. That shouldn’t be mixed up. But it is important for customers to know the ethics of Tatas, who are now managing these brands. Five to ten years down the line, will JLR be identified as a Tata enterprise? Forster: I’m a little bit skeptical. The Tata logo on the Jaguar…I’m not too sure. >> IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ET, TATA MOTORS CEO AND MANAGING DIRECTOR CARL-PETER FORSTER AND THE COMPANY'S INDIA OPERATIONS MD, PRAKASH TELANG, TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF MANAGING DIVERSE GLOBAL BRANDS AND UNLOCKING THEIR VALUE. EXCERPTS: ◗ Mar 20, 2009 The Times of India ‘PEOPLE’S CAR, AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME’ >> IF YOU THINK TATA MOTORS JUST HAS THE NANO UP ITS LONG SLEEVE, BE PREPARED TO BE DAZZLED. ADIL JAL DARUKHANAWALA, EDITOR- IN-CHIEF OF THE TIMES OF INDIA’S ZIGWHEELS.COM, ENGAGED RATAN TATA, CHAIRMAN OF TATA MOTORS, IN A FREE- WHEELING DISCUSSION ON CARS AND PROJECTS BEYOND THE NANO ON THE SIDELINES OF THE GENEVA MOTOR SHOW. EXCERPTS: TOI: The Tata Nano is finally set to drive down Indian roads. What would be the next challenge, once it is launched on March 23? Ratan Tata: I think the next challenge would be to live up to people’s aspirations. To make the experience of buying, owning, servicing and supporting the Nano different from what you might have experienced. At the same time, the challenge will also be to have people understand that the Nano is not a Honda, not a Toyota. It is a low-cost car and while there might not be any deficiencies, it might have some lack of refinement which will go with a low-cost product, but surely won’t be a deficiency as such. I don’t think there’s been a car in India that’s planned to be produced in this kind of volume. It is, therefore, important for us to maintain a sustained quality from our suppliers and our own ability to meet product standards. All these issues should be very challenging. Knowing that Telco had tried to do a people’s car in the 1960s but had to wait till two decades plus for the Indica and now the Nano to give Indians a genuine home-built product, do you sense that you would have loved to do the Nano earlier or is this the right time? I don’t know because I believe everything you do has its place in time. So in the ’60s, an idea of a people’s car would probably have been different from what it is today. Technologies were different, it is a difficult thing for me to answer. At that time in the ’60s, talking about a people’s car would have been something that is alien to the marketplace. Today, you can have a people’s car that can be done with confidence. So this car is… each new product has its place and time. Rajiv Dube, president, passenger cars, Tata Motors, mentioned at the launch of the Xenon that Tata Motors is suffering from a problem of plenty — I am of course referring to the sustained new model excitement, and it’s a good problem to have in these days. Yes, but it also has its challenges and we need to handle them well. So that is a big challenge and I hope we can live up to the expectation. Is the Tata-Fiat partnership doing well? Yes it is. It’s doing what it’s set up to do, and perhaps a little more. We are very happy with the relationship. It’s a relationship that’s not treading in rhythmic reversals. It’s a very open relationship based on what we’re trying to do. Is it a possibility that you could pick and choose technologies available with your partner which you still might not have in the Tata Motors’ portfolio? Or is it something where you still have to go about trying to license that technology? Naturally, the agreement doesn’t visualise gratis transfer of technology or products, but it does envisage the sharing of those openly. So we would expect that if there was some powertrain we thought would work well with our products we would certainly ask our partner and see whether it makes sense to do that given the transfer rights and licensing fees. Jan 13, 2000 THE TIMES OF INDIA May 4, 2000 THE TIMES OF INDIA Mar 4, 2001 THE TIMES OF INDIA ◗ Sep 2000, Top Gear Wanderlust T he RR Sport you see here comes with a 3.6 litre twinturbo diesel that sounds like Elvis singing Jailhouse Rock. Well, not exactly, but just as mesmerising. Another op- tion is a 4.2-litre supercharged monster that makes the Sport the fastest Range Rover yet. So you know where the name Sport comes from. It’s about being fast on tar- mac. You recall the Range Stormer concept that appeared in 2004? It was a three-door with gullwing doors on either side. It was about being on-road rather than off. The Sport takes off from that concept. Of course, the Sport looks nothing like it, but the concept’s DNA survived. It’s quick, yes. But you need to keep offering it all the steering inputs you can to as- sure it knows where it is supposed to point. Try slicing between a slow-moving truck on the left and the road divider on the right even on a gentle curve at near three-digit-speed and you’ll know what I am talking about. But then, maybe it’s expecting too much from the car. After all it’s a Range Rover Sport. Not a sportscar. Now, you could argue that you need to shell out ransom money for this piece of metal. And for quarter of a lakh more, you get the Range Rover proper that’s fantastic off road and has a ride that will give the jitters to an S-Class or an A8. But what the Sport offers is a much quicker Rangie. It’s cheaper. And to top it all there’s phenomenal off-roading tal- ent. How phenomenal? Well, this asphalt-ready Rangie requires you to climb into and off it, and you will not get a footboard. Why? Because footboards are an impediment while offroading. Now you get the real picture. ◗ Nov 2010 Top Gear Who you calling MPV? W here the Aria excels, surprisingly, is the way it behaves when you turn the steering wheel. There is a healthy dose of pitch and roll but the Aria can corner. And how. For a vehicle so big and a relatively high centre of gravity, the Aria can tackle the twisties reasonably well. ◗ Oct 16, 2009 ZigWheels Tata Indigo Manza gets a killer price tag! T ata Motors seems to have gotten the for- mula for success spot on with the Manza as they've not only given the Indian cus- tomer a good car, but have priced it extreme- ly competitively as well – an attribute which quite a few manufacturers tend to mess up. ◗ Jan 1, 2010 Zigwheels THE GRANDER SUMO: PART DEUX! I f someone’s on the lookout for a big MUV to take the family around in for cheap that has a whole lot of space, a refined ex- perience, classy styling and a very car-like ambience, the Sumo Grande MkII finally fits the bill. ◗ Dec 2009 TopGear The Real Thing T he Freelander actually feels at home off road. It gives you a strange peace of mind, whatever the surface. It will go through anything, and it will get you home. And you don’t have to fiddle with puny drive select levers for that. ◗ May 28, 2010 Zigwheels TATA INDIGO E-CS LAUNCHED! T he new car also comes with re- freshed exteriors including a new grille, body coloured bumpers, chrome inserts on rub rails and indi- cators on the rear view mirrors. ◗ Aug 2009 TopGear Good Hunting Q uestion is though, is it comfortable enough? This car doesn’t make compro- mises: it hoovers up fuel at an impressive rate, it isn’t exactly spacious, it isn’t easy to drive, the tech may take some time to get used to, and the power isn’t for everyone. If you were Mercedes or BMW, would you be worried? Probably not. There is no way you can use this car like you would an E-Class or 5-Series, driving it only oc- casionally and handing the keys to the chauf- feur for most of the time. No, this is a car you drive only yourself, and curl a forbidding lip at anyone who asks for the keys. You buy this car because it makes you feel special. ◗ Feb 26, 2009 The Times Of India Tata attempts the Cross Terrain! “I t is a problem of plenty for us at Tata Motors,” said Ra- jeev Dubey, president of Tata Motors’ passenger car unit as he unveiled the stylish new Xenon XT, the first ever Tata lifestyle “truck’’ in Mumbai on Wednesday. He could have been referring to the large five-metre-plus sized vehicle which would seem plentiful... ◗ Feb 27, 2009 ZigWheels BRAWNY CHIC! T alk SUVs and you suddenly have an attentive audi- ence! This in essence could have been the spur why Tata Motors has unleashed its all wheel drive Xenon XT pick-up in the Indian market, aimed at the fes- tyle performance segment among SUV en- thusiasts. ◗ ◗ Mar 26, 2010; The Times of India Brand new Nano bursts into flames When Satish Sawant proudly draped a marigold garland on the bonnet of his brand new Nano af- ter taking delivery he could scarcely believe that the drive back home would make news to anyone other than his family. But within 48 hours that drive was making the headlines. It's not because Sawant had bought a Nano; but because the car caught fire within minutes of the drive. The car was being driven to his home by an employee of the dealer. Suddenly, Sawant noticed smoke coming out from the car's rear, where the Nano's engine is housed. Not just him, but every- one else in the car had also noticed the smoke. The driver slammed the brakes and Sawant and those accompanying jumped out of the car-a wise move because within minutes the vehicle was engulfed in flames. Tata Motors itself was mystified. The incident was, of course, terrible publicity for the world's cheapest car, but more than that it was puzzled by fire. "We are still trying to understand why this happened and what were the reasons behind the incident,'' a spokesman for the company said. Asked whether there could be a link between the fire in Sawant's car and some previous incidents of smoke and fire in the Nano last year, the spokesperson said there was none. ◗ Jul 17, 2009; The Times of India Finally, Nano hits streets today T he common man’s car is set to reach the common man. After overcoming obstacles like rising commodity prices and political opposition, Ratan Tata will finally hand over the keys of the Nano—his dream project—to its first owner here on Friday. Though the identity of the first Nano buyer is not known, he or she is likely to be the quintessen- tial ‘man on the street’, with ordinary aspirations. In all likelihood he or she has even taken a loan for the prize catch. The defining moment—for Tata Motors, the buyer and the global auto industry—will be held at the company’s showroom in Prabhadevi. The rollout, which begins on Friday, will prove to be the litmus test for the much-awaited car’s on-road performance. Tata Motors, through a lottery, selected one lakh customers out of the 2.06 lakh applicants who had booked the snub-nosed car. While a significant number of people opted for a loan, the top-end LX model has been the most sought after. ◗ March 01, 2011 The Economic Times Pixel: Tata Motors’ new car on Nano platform I ndia’s largest auto company by turnover, Tata Motors will unveil a new compact car, PIXEL based on its micro-car Nano platform exclusively for the European market at the 81th Geneva car show on Tuesday. The three door Gull Winged (doors that open towards the sky) small car cur- rently at concept stage will be an experimental model for the European market will come under the all new brand. It is expected to have Nano dimension of size, which are a little over 3 metres, but will have much larger interiors. >> manza >> jaguar >> aria >> grande >> pixel >> xenon >> freelander >> indigo ◗ Oct 29, 2010 The Economic Times Top guns rush to grab driver’s seat in Nano T he people’s car is a hit with the corporate swish set. Among the 67,000 Tata Nano owners are corporate chieftains who oth- erwise ride on cars whose four wheels alone could buy the people’s car. At the Lutyens’ Del- hi residence of Anand Burman , the chairman of Dabur India, a champagne-coloured Nano rubs bumpers with a Mercedes S-Class, a Bent- ley and a Range Rover. ◗ Mar 24, 2009 The Economic Times Finally, history-on-wheels gets rolling “I f you pursue something, you will certainly get there. Nothing is impossible,” said Ratan Tata unveiling the much-awaited Tata Nano at a glittering ceremony in Mumbai. The city’s iconic Ma- rine Drive and its gentle breeze formed the perfect backdrop for the occasion and there was not a soul who was not moved by the significance of the event. The event was not just about what Tata Motors had achieved by offering a car at Rs 1 lakh (ex-factory) but was more a statement on what India had achieved. ◗ Oct 14, 2010 The Economic Times Nano was born out of a doodle by Ratan Tata G uess how the Rs 1 lakh ($2,200) car Nano was born? It took some idle doodling by Ratan Tata, head of the Tata Group of companies, at lifeless board meetings, says a book chronicling its making. “It started by my spending a lot of time doodling at boring board meetings. Most of us are victims of the environment in which we are and... we lose sight of the fact that we have a greater responsibility – a responsibility to serve the communities we live in to improve the quality of life of people we work with,” Ratan Tata recalled later at a gathering of Tata executives, according to the book ‘Small Wonder: The Making of Nano’.
Transcript of ‘WE ARE ON THE ROAD TO THE CZARS OF CARS
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THE CZARS OF CARSSierra. Estate. Indigo. Indica Manza. Magna. Aria. Jaguar. Nano. Pixel. The car-ousel is wide and varied. News. Views. Reviews the BCCL way
◗◗ Oct 18, 2004The Economic Times
>>>>TATA MOTORSCompany Of The Year
THERE was very little competition for Tata Motors. Jurymembers were unanimous that the Tata group-controlledcommercial vehicle and passenger car maker has made amajor impact with its historic turnaround and the recentacquisition of Daewoo Commercial Vehicle.
Automobile industry peers too had good things to sayabout Tata Motors. Jury member Rahul Bajaj, CMD of BajajAuto, told ET after the jury meeting: “It’s been a case ofclassic turnaround. From record losses a few years ago,Tata Motors has bounced back to become one of the mostprofitable private sector companies. Not only has it beenable to maintain its pre-eminent position in commercialvehicles, the company has made its presence felt in thepassenger car segment by taking on competition fromMaruti and Hyundai Motors. The acquisition of DaewooCommercial Vehicle has been a very bold and forthrightmove.”
◗◗ Jan 20, 2006 The Times of India
>>>>Design Of The YearRecognising and rewarding excellence in Indian automobiledesign – this was what the inaugural Apollo Tyres – TopGear Design Awards were all about. Design legends such asErcole Spada, Tom Tjaarda, and Marzia Gandini, daughter ofthe great Marcello Gandini and a design expert in her ownright was there too with Frederic Guihal and AlexandreLegedre who represent two of France’s best automagazines. The other jury members included RajeshMirajkar and Gautam Sen, editor of Top Gear.
Design of the year – Commercial Vehicles TATA ACEWhen it comes to commercial vehicles its usually functionthat is more important than form. The sensible use ofmaterials is also an important aspect for commercialvehicles.The contenders for this award were the MahindraAlfa Champion, Tata Ace, Tata Novus, Tata Globus andStarbus.One look at the scoresheets revealed the story,though. The innovative Ace was on the top of everyone'slist and took the award, but by a fairly narrow margin. TheStarbus was a close second and the Novus came in third.All contenders from Tata!
◗◗ Jul 6, 2007 The Times of India
>>>>EXCELLENCE IN COST MANAGEMENT
Tata Motors has won the National Award for Excellence inCost Management for the year 2006. The annual award isconferred by the Institute of Cost and Works Accountantsof India (ICWAI). Tata Motors bagged the first prize in the‘Manufacturing’ category in the private sector. A 17-member jury led by the former Chief Justice of India, J SVerma, chose the winners after a comprehensive selectionprocess.
◗◗ Dec 25, 2009The Times of India
>>>>ZIGWHEELS.COM VIEWER’SCHOICE AWARDS
Even before the Nano was launched, we knew it was goingto be a crowd puller. The car had already generated itsshare of hype before its launch and our online audiencecouldn’t wait for it. True enough, the moment our Nanopackage went online at the day of its launch, all ourviewership records were demolished, and to good effect atthat. The queries and comments were almost unanimous –the crowds loved India's latest people's mover, one thatpromised proper personal mobility with a roof to millions.
◗◗ Dec 24, 2010The Economic Times
>>>>Tata Motors’ Nano design receives international award
MUMBAI: Tata Motors on Thursday said its small car ‘Nano’has received the good design award for 2010, by theChicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Designwith the European Centre for Architecture Art Design andUrban Studies. The award for the Tata Nano has come in thecategory of transportation, Tata Motors said in astatement. The Tata Nano’s design is such that it offers anincredibly spacious passenger compartment which cancomfortably seat four adults. With a length of just 3.1metres, width of 1.5 metres and height of 1.6 metres, Nanohas the smallest exterior footprint for a car in India but is21 per cent more spacious than the smallest car availabletoday.
–PTI
It started by my spending a lot of time doodling at boring board meetings–– RRaattaann TTaattaa oonn tthhee gglleeaamm tthhaatt llaatteerr bbeeccaammee tthhee NNaannoo
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
>> TATA MOTORS MAY HAVE SHOCKED THE MARKET WITH A LARGER-THAN-EXPECTED LOSS OF RS 2,500CRORE ON A CONSOLIDATED BASIS, BUT THE COMPANY IS CONFIDENT OF TURNING THINGS AROUND. NON-EXECUTIVE VICE-CHAIRMAN RAVI KANT TOLD ET NOW’S SENIOR EDITORR SRIDHARAN, THAT THE COMPANYSHOULD BE BACK ON TRACK SOON. EXCERPTS:
IInn tthhee ppaasstt ffeeww mmoonntthhss tthheerree’’ss bbeeeenn aa sstteeaaddyyiimmpprroovveemmeenntt iinn ssaalleess ffiigguurreess aatt TTaattaa MMoottoorrss.. DDoo yyoouusseeee aa ttuurrnnaarroouunndd hhaappppeenniinngg??Yes. Last year was quite terrible because of shortageof retail financing. Many important banks withdrew allof a sudden. October-December quarter was bad.Since then monthon-month we have been improving.All the segments have more or less turned back tonormalcy, except the heavy-truck segment. It is alsoimproving, but it’s slow.
WWhheenn ddoo yyoouu sseeee aa rreeccoovveerryy hhaappppeenniinngg iinn ccoommmmeerrcciiaallvveehhiicclleess??Except heavy trucks, the recovery is already there. Inthe small-truck segment, we have done much better. Ithas grown over 20 per cent. This is mainly on account ofthe new truck Ace. We have some availability problemsfor some parts. Otherwise, we could do even better.
TTaattaa MMoottoorrss’’ lloosssseess ffoorr tthhee llaasstt yyeeaarr aatt RRss 22,,550000 ccrroorreewweerree wwaayy aabboovvee wwhhaatt mmoosstt aannaallyyssttss hhaadd ffaaccttoorreedd iinn..WWhhaatt ccoonnttrriibbuutteedd ttoo tthheessee lloosssseess??A month ago we had announced standalone results.We showed profits of little more than Rs 1,000 crore.On a consolidated business, we turned out a loss.Mainly it came from Jaguar Land Rover and lessprofits made by other subsidiary companies. It wasthe first time we were declaring our consolidatedresults after taking over JLR.
YYoouurr iinntteerreesstt oouuttggoo aatt RRss 11,,990000 ccrroorree sseeeemmss aa lliittttlleesstteeeepp.. AArree yyoouu ppllaannnniinngg ttoo rreedduuccee yyoouurr iinntteerreesstt
bbuurrddeenn tthhrroouugghh ssoommee ddeebbtt rreessttrruuccttuurriinngg??The focus is on availability of money rather than thecost of money. It is difficult to go for equity at thisstage. In a bridge loan also, when we tried to go forequity issue, as the market had tanked, it had to besaved by our major shareholder Tata Sons. They hadto take the entire burden. It was not the right time toraise equity. Hence, the only way to do was to go fordebt, and debt has a cost. Therefore, at this stage, thefocus is on making money available.
TThhaatt mmeeaannss nnoo ccaappiittaall eexxppeennddiittuurree,, nnoo pprroodduuccttllaauunncchheess ffoorr tthhee mmoommeenntt..No. That is not correct. We have tried to reduce ourcapital expenses substantially. Most of it is for addingto the capacity and less to do with product launches.We have ensured that in Jaguar Land Rover and in TataMotors or any other company, we do not impact theproduct plan.
RRaattaann TTaattaa hhaass ssaaiidd tthhaatt TTaattaa MMoottoorrss mmiissttiimmeedd tthheeppuurrcchhaassee ooff JJLLRR...... WWhhaatt wwoouulldd hhaavvee bbeeeenn aa mmoorreeaapppprroopprriiaattee pprriiccee??Mr Tata didn’t mention price. He just mentioned time.When we made the acquisition we didn’t know aboutthe global meltdown... I think we paid the right priceconsidering the fact that this company made a profitof $500 million in 2007. It made a profit of nearly $450million in the first half of 2008. You can’t say that itwas overpriced. In fact, out of the $2.3 billion that wepaid for it, $600 million came back into the pensionfunds. Ford only got $1.7 billion.
◗◗ Jul 10, 2009The Economic Times
‘WE ARE ON THE ROAD TORECOVERY’TATA MOTORS’ RAVI KANT IS UPBEAT ON NANO’SSUCCESS AND IS CONFIDENT THAT JLR WILLSTART MAKING PROFITS IN TWO YEARS
◗◗ Oct 26, 2010The Economic Times
WHEN BRANDSUNLOCK VALUE
YYoouu aarree mmaannaaggiinngg aa ppoorrttffoolliioo ooff ddiivveerrssee gglloobbaallbbrraannddss.. SSoommee lliikkee JJaagguuaarr aanndd LLaanndd RRoovveerr ffrroommddeevveellooppeedd mmaarrkkeettss aarree nnooww eenntteerriinngg eemmeerrggiinnggmmaarrkkeettss aanndd ssoommee hhoommeeggrroowwnn bbrraannddss ((ssuucchh aass tthheeAAccee aanndd tthhee IInnddiiccaa eelleeccttrriicc)) aarree eenntteerriinngg ddeevveellooppeeddmmaarrkkeettss.. HHooww ddoo yyoouu mmaannaaggee aallll ooff tthhiiss??FFoorrsstteerr:: From my point of view, Ace is not a brand; itis a ‘designation’. There is only one brand that is theTatas. Marketers are somewhat puzzled separatingthe two. I try and discourage everybody from thinkingof Ace as a brand. Ace is a very good modeldesignation standing for a unique set of capability,but lives under the Tata brand.
Customers are not attracted by pure financial oreconomic desire. Ultimately you have to becommercially astute and ambitious, but if that is yourprimary driver, customers are not attracted to thatproposition. This specific element of putting long-term brand values before short-term interest isimportant. The more you do that, the stronger a branddevelops.
The value proposition of the other two brands —Jaguar and Land Rover — is very different, but thesame basic principles hold true. Land Rover is abetter understood, somewhat a stronger brand,delivering a unique set of values. It gives people thefeeling that when you drive this car nothing canhappen. Some refer to it as a fortress on wheels...acar that gives a feeling of safety and security. Thesebrand values perfectly fit with the Tatas.
IIss tthheerree aann eelleemmeenntt ooff ffoorrccee ffiitt iinn tthhee JJLLRR--TTaattaa MMoottoorrrreellaattiioonnsshhiipp??
FFoorrsstteerr:: There is no force fit. These brands havedifferent strengths and value propositions. It is apositive resonance and in certain elements a `fit’, butthere is no force fitting.TTeellaanngg:: Tata is a big brand in India but many in Chinaand Latin America would not know the Tatas. TheLand Rover brand must continue as the word denotesa value. We must not disturb that. Over time, if theTata brand is stronger (globally), we can consider (achange). When Coca-Cola took over Thums Up, theyrealised that the brand value of Thums Up is muchstronger, and there is no point destroying it. Coke andThums Up continue.
Another example: when Toyota wanted to get intothe luxury car segment, they thought that whileToyota is well trusted in the mid size segment, itmight destroy the value for the upper end. So, Lexus(was born and) is sold through different channels.
Therefore the underlying value of both the brands(Tata and Land Rover) — trust, integrity, anddelivering value is a good fit.
HHooww iimmppoorrttaanntt iiss iitt tthhaatt gglloobbaall ccoonnssuummeerrss rreeccooggnniisseetthhaatt JJLLRR iiss aa ppaarrtt ooff tthhee TTaattaa ffaammiillyy?? FFoorrsstteerr:: Land Rover and Jaguar customers are buyingJLR cars and not Tata cars. That shouldn’t be mixedup. But it is important for customers to know theethics of Tatas, who are now managing these brands.
FFiivvee ttoo tteenn yyeeaarrss ddoowwnn tthhee lliinnee,, wwiillll JJLLRR bbee iiddeennttiiffiieeddaass aa TTaattaa eenntteerrpprriissee?? FFoorrsstteerr:: I’m a little bit skeptical. The Tata logo on theJaguar…I’m not too sure.
>> IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ET, TATA MOTORS CEO AND MANAGING DIRECTOR CARL-PETERFORSTER AND THE COMPANY'S INDIA OPERATIONS MD, PRAKASH TELANG, TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OFMANAGING DIVERSE GLOBAL BRANDS AND UNLOCKING THEIR VALUE. EXCERPTS:
◗◗ Mar 20, 2009The Times of India
‘PEOPLE’S CAR, AN IDEA WHOSETIME HAS COME’
>> IF YOU THINK TATAMOTORS JUST HAS THE
NANO UP ITS LONG SLEEVE,BE PREPARED TO BE
DAZZLED. ADIL JALDARUKHANAWALA, EDITOR-
IN-CHIEF OF THE TIMES OFINDIA’S ZIGWHEELS.COM,
ENGAGED RATAN TATA,CHAIRMAN OF TATAMOTORS, IN A FREE-
WHEELING DISCUSSION ONCARS AND PROJECTS
BEYOND THE NANO ON THESIDELINES OF THE GENEVAMOTOR SHOW. EXCERPTS:
TTOOII:: TThhee TTaattaa NNaannoo iiss ffiinnaallllyy sseett ttoo ddrriivvee ddoowwnn IInnddiiaannrrooaaddss.. WWhhaatt wwoouulldd bbee tthhee nneexxtt cchhaalllleennggee,, oonnccee iitt iissllaauunncchheedd oonn MMaarrcchh 2233??RRaattaann TTaattaa:: I think the next challenge would be to liveup to people’s aspirations. To make the experience ofbuying, owning, servicing and supporting the Nanodifferent from what you might have experienced. At thesame time, the challenge will also be to have peopleunderstand that the Nano is not a Honda, not a Toyota.It is a low-cost car and while there might not be anydeficiencies, it might have some lack of refinementwhich will go with a low-cost product, but surely won’tbe a deficiency as such. I don’t think there’s been a carin India that’s planned to be produced in this kind ofvolume. It is, therefore, important for us to maintain asustained quality from our suppliers and our own abilityto meet product standards. All these issues should bevery challenging.
KKnnoowwiinngg tthhaatt TTeellccoo hhaadd ttrriieedd ttoo ddoo aa ppeeooppllee’’ss ccaarr iinn tthhee11996600ss bbuutt hhaadd ttoo wwaaiitt ttiillll ttwwoo ddeeccaaddeess pplluuss ffoorr tthheeIInnddiiccaa aanndd nnooww tthhee NNaannoo ttoo ggiivvee IInnddiiaannss aa ggeennuuiinneehhoommee--bbuuiilltt pprroodduucctt,, ddoo yyoouu sseennssee tthhaatt yyoouu wwoouulldd hhaavveelloovveedd ttoo ddoo tthhee NNaannoo eeaarrlliieerr oorr iiss tthhiiss tthhee rriigghhtt ttiimmee??I don’t know because I believe everything you do has itsplace in time. So in the ’60s, an idea of a people’s carwould probably have been different from what it istoday. Technologies were different, it is a difficult thingfor me to answer. At that time in the ’60s, talking abouta people’s car would have been something that is aliento the marketplace. Today, you can have a people’s car
that can be done with confidence. So this car is… eachnew product has its place and time.
RRaajjiivv DDuubbee,, pprreessiiddeenntt,, ppaasssseennggeerr ccaarrss,, TTaattaa MMoottoorrss,,mmeennttiioonneedd aatt tthhee llaauunncchh ooff tthhee XXeennoonn tthhaatt TTaattaa MMoottoorrssiiss ssuuffffeerriinngg ffrroomm aa pprroobblleemm ooff pplleennttyy —— II aamm ooff ccoouurrsseerreeffeerrrriinngg ttoo tthhee ssuussttaaiinneedd nneeww mmooddeell eexxcciitteemmeenntt,, aannddiitt’’ss aa ggoooodd pprroobblleemm ttoo hhaavvee iinn tthheessee ddaayyss..Yes, but it also has its challenges and we need tohandle them well. So that is a big challenge and I hopewe can live up to the expectation.
IIss tthhee TTaattaa--FFiiaatt ppaarrttnneerrsshhiipp ddooiinngg wweellll??Yes it is. It’s doing what it’s set up to do, and perhaps alittle more. We are very happy with the relationship. It’sa relationship that’s not treading in rhythmic reversals.It’s a very open relationship based on what we’re tryingto do.
IIss iitt aa ppoossssiibbiilliittyy tthhaatt yyoouu ccoouulldd ppiicckk aanndd cchhoooosseetteecchhnnoollooggiieess aavvaaiillaabbllee wwiitthh yyoouurr ppaarrttnneerr wwhhiicchh yyoouu ssttiillllmmiigghhtt nnoott hhaavvee iinn tthhee TTaattaa MMoottoorrss’’ ppoorrttffoolliioo?? OOrr iiss iittssoommeetthhiinngg wwhheerree yyoouu ssttiillll hhaavvee ttoo ggoo aabboouutt ttrryyiinngg ttoolliicceennssee tthhaatt tteecchhnnoollooggyy??Naturally, the agreement doesn’t visualise gratistransfer of technology or products, but it does envisagethe sharing of those openly. So we would expect that ifthere was some powertrain we thought would workwell with our products we would certainly ask ourpartner and see whether it makes sense to do thatgiven the transfer rights and licensing fees.
Jan 13, 2000THE TIMES OF INDIA
May 4, 2000THE TIMES OF INDIA
Mar 4, 2001THE TIMES OF INDIA
◗◗ Sep 2000, Top Gear
WWaannddeerrlluusstt
The RR Sport you see here comes with a 3.6 litre twinturbo diesel that sounds likeElvis singing Jailhouse Rock. Well, not exactly, but just as mesmerising. Another op-tion is a 4.2-litre supercharged monster that makes the Sport the fastest Range
Rover yet. So you know where the name Sport comes from. It’s about being fast on tar-mac. You recall the Range Stormer concept that appeared in 2004? It was a three-doorwith gullwing doors on either side. It was about being on-road rather than off. The Sporttakes off from that concept. Of course, the Sport looks nothing like it, but the concept’sDNA survived.
It’s quick, yes. But you need to keep offering it all the steering inputs you can to as-sure it knows where it is supposed to point. Try slicing between a slow-moving truck onthe left and the road divider on the right even on a gentle curve at near three-digit-speedand you’ll know what I am talking about. But then, maybe it’s expecting too much fromthe car. After all it’s a Range Rover Sport. Not a sportscar.
Now, you could argue that you need to shell out ransom money for this piece of metal.And for quarter of a lakh more, you get the Range Rover proper that’s fantastic off roadand has a ride that will give the jitters to an S-Class or an A8. But what the Sport offers isa much quicker Rangie. It’s cheaper. And to top it all there’s phenomenal off-roading tal-ent. How phenomenal? Well, this asphalt-ready Rangie requires you to climb into and offit, and you will not get a footboard. Why? Because footboards are an impediment whileoffroading. Now you get the real picture.
◗◗ Nov 2010Top Gear
WWhhoo yyoouu ccaalllliinngg MMPPVV??
Where the Aria excels, surprisingly, is theway it behaves when you turn the steering
wheel. There is a healthy dose of pitch and rollbut the Aria can corner. And how. For a vehicleso big and a relatively high centre of gravity, theAria can tackle the twisties reasonably well.
◗◗ Oct 16, 2009ZigWheels
TTaattaa IInnddiiggoo MMaannzzaa ggeettss aakkiilllleerr pprriiccee ttaagg!!
Tata Motors seems to have gotten the for-mula for success spot on with the Manza
as they've not only given the Indian cus-tomer a good car, but have priced it extreme-ly competitively as well – an attribute whichquite a few manufacturers tend to mess up.
◗◗ Jan 1, 2010Zigwheels
TTHHEE GGRRAANNDDEERR SSUUMMOO::PPAARRTT DDEEUUXX!!
If someone’s on the lookout for a big MUVto take the family around in for cheap
that has a whole lot of space, a refined ex-perience, classy styling and a very car-likeambience, the Sumo Grande MkII finallyfits the bill.
◗◗ Dec 2009TopGear
TThhee RReeaall TThhiinngg
The Freelander actually feels athome off road. It gives you a
strange peace of mind, whatever thesurface. It will go through anything,and it will get you home. And youdon’t have to fiddle with puny driveselect levers for that.
◗◗ May 28, 2010Zigwheels
TTAATTAA IINNDDIIGGOO EE--CCSSLLAAUUNNCCHHEEDD!!
The new car also comes with re-freshed exteriors including a
new grille, body coloured bumpers,chrome inserts on rub rails and indi-
cators on the rear view mirrors.
◗◗ Aug 2009TopGear
GGoooodd HHuunnttiinngg
Question is though, is it comfortableenough? This car doesn’t make compro-
mises: it hoovers up fuel at an impressiverate, it isn’t exactly spacious, it isn’t easy todrive, the tech may take some time to getused to, and the power isn’t for everyone. Ifyou were Mercedes or BMW, would you beworried? Probably not.
There is no way you can use this car like youwould an E-Class or 5-Series, driving it only oc-casionally and handing the keys to the chauf-feur for most of the time. No, this is a car youdrive only yourself, and curl a forbidding lip atanyone who asks for the keys. You buy this carbecause it makes you feel special.
◗◗ Feb 26, 2009The Times Of India
TTaattaa aatttteemmppttss tthhee CCrroossss TTeerrrraaiinn!!
“It is a problem of plenty for us at Tata Motors,” said Ra-jeev Dubey, president of Tata Motors’ passenger car unit
as he unveiled the stylish new Xenon XT, the first ever Tatalifestyle “truck’’ in Mumbai on Wednesday. He could havebeen referring to the large five-metre-plus sized vehicle whichwould seem plentiful...
◗◗ Feb 27, 2009ZigWheels
BBRRAAWWNNYY CCHHIICC!!
Talk SUVs and you suddenly have an attentive audi-ence! This in essence could have been the spur why
Tata Motors has unleashed its all wheel drive Xenon XTpick-up in the Indian market, aimed at the fes-tyle performance segment among SUV en-thusiasts.
◗◗ ◗◗ Mar 26, 2010; The Times of India
BBrraanndd nneeww NNaannoo bbuurrssttss iinnttoo ffllaammeess When Satish Sawant proudly draped a marigold garland on the bonnet of his brand new Nano af-
ter taking delivery he could scarcely believe that the drive back home would make news to anyoneother than his family. But within 48 hours that drive was making the headlines.
It's not because Sawant had bought a Nano; but because the car caught fire within minutes of thedrive. The car was being driven to his home by an employee of the dealer. Suddenly, Sawant noticedsmoke coming out from the car's rear, where the Nano's engine is housed. Not just him, but every-one else in the car had also noticed the smoke. The driver slammed the brakes and Sawant andthose accompanying jumped out of the car-a wise move because within minutes the vehicle wasengulfed in flames.
Tata Motors itself was mystified. The incident was, of course, terrible publicity for the world'scheapest car, but more than that it was puzzled by fire. "We are still trying to understand why thishappened and what were the reasons behind the incident,'' a spokesman for the company said.
Asked whether there could be a link between the fire in Sawant's car and some previous incidentsof smoke and fire in the Nano last year, the spokesperson said there was none.
◗◗ Jul 17, 2009; The Times of India
FFiinnaallllyy,, NNaannoo hhiittss ssttrreeeettss ttooddaayy
The common man’s car is set to reach the common man. After overcoming obstacles like risingcommodity prices and political opposition, Ratan Tata will finally hand over the keys of theNano—his dream project—to its first owner here on Friday.
Though the identity of the first Nano buyer is not known, he or she is likely to be the quintessen-tial ‘man on the street’, with ordinary aspirations. In all likelihood he or she has even taken a loanfor the prize catch.
The defining moment—for Tata Motors, the buyer and the global auto industry—will be held atthe company’s showroom in Prabhadevi. The rollout, which begins on Friday, will prove to be thelitmus test for the much-awaited car’s on-road performance.
Tata Motors, through a lottery, selected one lakh customers out of the 2.06 lakh applicants whohad booked the snub-nosed car. While a significant number of people opted for a loan, the top-endLX model has been the most sought after.
◗◗ March 01, 2011The Economic Times
PPiixxeell:: TTaattaa MMoottoorrss’’ nneeww ccaarr oonn NNaannoo ppllaattffoorrmm
India’s largest auto company by turnover, Tata Motors will unveil a new compactcar, PIXEL based on its micro-car Nano platform exclusively for the European
market at the 81th Geneva car show on Tuesday. The three door Gull Winged (doors that open towards the sky) small car cur-
rently at concept stage will be an experimental model for the European marketwill come under the all new brand. It is expected to have Nano dimension of size,which are a little over 3 metres, but will have much larger interiors.
>> manza
>> jaguar
>>aria
>>grande
>> pixel
>> xenon >>freelander
>>indigo
◗◗ Oct 29, 2010 The Economic Times
TToopp gguunnss rruusshh ttoo ggrraabb ddrriivveerr’’ss sseeaatt iinn NNaannoo
The people’s car is a hit with the corporateswish set. Among the 67,000 Tata Nanoowners are corporate chieftains who oth-
erwise ride on cars whose four wheels alonecould buy the people’s car. At the Lutyens’ Del-hi residence of Anand Burman , the chairmanof Dabur India, a champagne-coloured Nanorubs bumpers with a Mercedes S-Class, a Bent-ley and a Range Rover.
◗◗ Mar 24, 2009 The Economic Times
FFiinnaallllyy,, hhiissttoorryy--oonn--wwhheeeellss ggeettss rroolllliinngg
“If you pursue something, you will certainly getthere. Nothing is impossible,” said Ratan Tataunveiling the much-awaited Tata Nano at a
glittering ceremony in Mumbai. The city’s iconic Ma-rine Drive and its gentle breeze formed the perfectbackdrop for the occasion and there was not a soulwho was not moved by the significance of the event.The event was not just about what Tata Motors hadachieved by offering a car at Rs 1 lakh (ex-factory) butwas more a statement on what India had achieved.
◗◗ Oct 14, 2010 The Economic Times
NNaannoo wwaass bboorrnn oouutt ooffaa ddooooddllee bbyy RRaattaannTTaattaa
Guess how the Rs 1 lakh ($2,200) carNano was born? It took some idledoodling by Ratan Tata, head of the
Tata Group of companies, at lifeless boardmeetings, says a book chronicling its making.
“It started by my spending a lot of timedoodling at boring board meetings. Most of usare victims of the environment in which weare and... we lose sight of the fact that wehave a greater responsibility – a responsibilityto serve the communities we live in to improvethe quality of life of people we work with,”Ratan Tata recalled later at a gathering of Tataexecutives, according to the book ‘SmallWonder: The Making of Nano’.
