Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles division have gone from a laughing stock after the failure of the Nano to a proper contender in the Indian market right now. And continuing on that path, they unveiled the refresh of their Tigor compact sedan here on Wednesday. The carmaker that has been the fastest growing carmaker in a generally moribund car market is now confident that it can challenge the market leaders Maruti-Suzuki and Hyundai. Speaking to the media, Guenther Butschek said that keeping the ‘turnaround’ culture going at Tata Motors was important. “We shall go from being a lightweight challenger to a strong contender in the Indian market and we shall also think beyond India.”
The company also showcased the latest iteration of their compact sedan, the Tigor which featured updated interiors, safety features and ‘a lot of chrome’ in the exterior. Tata Motors which effectively invented the ‘Compact Sedan’ segment of cars when they launched the Indigo CS over a decade ago to take advantage of India’s lower taxes on cars below four meters in length has seen that segment dominated by Maruti-Suzuki’s Dzire. However, as highlighted by Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicles, Tata Motors, market dynamics have changed in India with 63 per cent of new car buyers considering buying cars in the compact sedan segment. At the same time, with car penetration in India still at a very low 29 cars per thousand population, Pareek said that the current subdued demand for cars should not be seen as a permanent issue.
The Tigor will also be a price-conscious competitor, much like the refresh of another contender in this segment the Ford Aspire just last week. Prices for the petrol variant range between Rs 5.2 lakhs and Rs 6.65 lakh for the top-end version with a clutchless AMT. Prices for the Diesel variant range from Rs 6.09 lakh to Rs 7.38 lakh.