Most industrial giants are lucky to have a major career-defining milestone in their lives, but when it comes to Ratan Tata it seems like a daily affair. The scope of man’s influence on various industries is vast, but change Tata Motors This is a true testament to Tata’s leadership abilities, vision and patience. Henry Ford had the Model T, Pierre Michelin – the Citroën 2CV. But Tata saw three important milestones over a period of a decade, which took Tata Motors from a crude truck maker to a carmaker par excellence.
When Ratan Tata took charge Chairman of Tata Group In 1991, Tata Motors, still known as TELCO, didn’t really have much to show as a private carmaker. Sure, the Tata Sierra and Tata Estate were symbols of progress, but it wasn’t until the arrival of the Tata Indica that the brand evolved as a carmaker. And that was just the beginning.
Tata Indica: the first real Indian car
Looking back, a car like the Tata Indica might have seemed a product of its time, but it was truly revolutionary in various aspects. With the Indian economy recently liberalized, Ratan Tata was looking to do what had not been done before: create a car designed and manufactured in India for Indians. Tata wanted the car to have exterior dimensions similar to the Maruti Zen and interior dimensions similar to the Hindustan Ambassador. The task was an ambitious one, involving an investment of Rs 1700 crore that could make or break the brand that had just begun to foray into personal mobility. Indica was a carefully studied product. Its announcement invited equal amounts of astonishment and ridicule. Then Tata got to work. He assembled a team and took them to international car conventions geneva motor show To make them realize what the international car manufacturers are doing.
Although the Indica design came from Turin, ItalyTata provided the first draft. He wanted to add a level of European flair to the design that large-scale hatchbacks lack. While the Maruti 800 brought reliability and fuel economy to India’s pre-liberalization automotive landscape, the Indica tried to do more. Unlike the 800, which was originally a Japanese import, this car took into account Indian trends and aspirations. For starters, Tata wanted the car to have great luggage space, knowing that the average Indian tended to travel heavily, often with containers of home-made food, even on road trips. Too. Then they did what no one else did: introduced an agricultural diesel engine into the hatchback space, making it even more affordable. Upon launch, the Indica was not the huge success it eventually became. It had teething problems that were eventually rectified by the Indica V2 – a battle-tested car that heralded Tata Motors’ arrival on the global stage.
Tata Nano: the first people’s car
The Nano may not have had the same commercial success as the Indica. But it was a more streamlined version of the same idea: organizing India’s rapidly growing middle class. Even before its launch, it took the entire industry by storm. There was a significant decline in the sales of used cars of Maruti 800 and Alto. Ratan Tata’s focus on streamlining operations was evident in the Nano; according to a study by the University of Virginia, cost savings were achieved through modular design, in which components performed multiple functions and were manufactured separately for assembly. .
