Tata Motors paying more attention on design and interiors

Tata Motors in order to woo its customers is now paying more attention on the design of its upcoming cars. Pratap Bose, Tata Motors head of Design told PTI, “Basically our cars are very good products, well engineered, very relevant for the segment they play in. It is just, somewhere I feel, we have now started to, also, focus much stronger on design.” Mr Bose was responding to a question asked what went wrong for Tata Motors from a design perspective that in FY'14 it dropped to 4th biggest car maker slot in India by volume.

In the financial year of 2013-14, the automaker witnessed a downfall of 38.64 percent as they retailed a total of 1,07,187 units compared to 1,74,692 units in fiscal year 2012-13. Tata Motors' problem does not seems to end as the carmaker slipped to 4th slot of being the largest manufacturer in India by volume in FY14, from previously 3rd position. The automaker is now behind Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Honda.

Recently, the homegrown manufacturer had unveiled its compact sedan Zest and hatchback Bolt which were designed in three Tata Motors design studios in Coventry (UK), Pune (India) and Turin ( Italy). The automaker has even made sure that the European models and Indian versions are same in terms of exterior design and interior features.

Mr Bose also said, "The world is changing very fast, the customers' tastes are changing very quickly. Today, we are in a very strong position to not only respond to these changes but also foresee these changes and design features into our cars". He further added, "Going forward, in each product life cycle, we have already planned from the day we launch it to the day that is product replaced in 6-7 years, we have planned every phase on how we are going to enhance, improve, refresh and keep that excitement going."

The upcoming models, Zest and Bolt come equipped with many first in segment features such as 5-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth and USB connectivity, new turbocharged Revotron petrol engine, projector headlamps and day-time-running LEDs. Mr Bose also said, "People must feel that there is something new, something fresh has happened. We manage this process much better today." He also said, "We want to use these small influences in a very sensitive and minimalistic way ... We will use it with a sense of subtlety. So, when someone looks at a car long enough, they will find these subtle elements in the car."

Source : PTI