Tata Motors, the country’s largest auto maker, is planning to introduce a new small car in the premium segment, which is expected to be designed on the manufacturing platform of Indica. Codenamed as ‘X0’, the new model is anticipated to compete against the flagship models of Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motors, which are currently ruling the segment.
The auto company is planning to showcase the model somewhere in 2015. On the other hand, industry experts believe that the rational buyers has nothing to do with the designing platform, as they are mainly attracted by the design, style and features of the model. Further, the company officials did not entertained any comments on revealing the exact product specification.
Reportedly, the new small car of Tata Motors is expected to come in both petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol guise is anticipated to feature a 1.2 litre petrol engine, whereas the diesel version will come assimilated with a 1.5 litre diesel motor. Industry experts believe that the model will also deliver a stiff competition to Hyundai India’s upcoming new small car (BA), whose launch seems around the corner.
The auto maker is expected to spend a massive investment of Rs. 4,000-5,000 crore on the development of its new product, over a period of 3 to 5 years. According to sources, Tata Motors is also planning to develop a new Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and sub-4 metre sedan. However, nothing about these 2 models is confirmed as of now.
Auto analysts believe that the auto maker is taking these serious steps in order to regain its lost market share in the passenger vehicle market. Between the tenure of April and December 2012, the auto maker delivered 2,48,068 units, recording a fall of almost 1.5 per cent from 14.16 per cent, registered during the year-ago period. The sales performance of the auto maker further witnessed a dip in January 2013 with 15,209 units, registering a fall of more than 56 per cent.
