Why Tata needs a shiny Red Sports Car!

The other day, when a friend approached me for advice regarding his need for a good and comfortable diesel sedan in the 6-8lakh price bracket, I asked him to go take a look at the Ford Fiesta and  the Tata Manza.  I also asked him to take a look at the Ford Figo and the Nissan Micra if he wasn’t hell bent on getting a sedan.

He was back a week later and said that Nissan Micra was the only car he liked out of the lot but that he wasn’t really truly happy with it.

I knew the answer, but I asked him the question anyway. “Did you test the Manza?”. He said “No”.

“Why  Not?”

“What’s the point in test driving a crude taxi?”

Aaaarghhh..Dear Mr. Ratan Tata, you must actually pay me for living half my life convincing people to atleast test drive your cars before they pass blank sweeping statements on them.

I asked “Dude, do you trust me?”

A mildly shocked look. “Of course I do.”

“Then please go and test drive the Manza, sit inside it and then come back to me. Please.”

He was back a few days later with an embarrassed grin on his face.  “ I booked the Manza!”

Now it was my turn to sport a shocked look. And it wasn’t mild by any means. For here was a guy who had been driving Marutis and Fords all his life, with an anti Tata perception to boot and he was telling me that he chose the Manza over the Nissan Micra.

I will not dwell about the pros and cons of the Manza here but I will simply state that it can more than hold its own against what the Europeans, the Koreans and the Japanese have to offer at that price bracket.

Now that Mr. Ratan Tata has got the products right (read Manza and Aria), he desperately needs to channel his efforts into shrugging off that taxi car image that is hanging like an albatross around Tata Motors.

The shape of things to come for India's homegrown car maker

What Tata Motors is facing now is exactly what was faced by the Japanese car makers in the late 70’s and 80’s. The Honda Accord will bring in the cash, but it’s the Honda S 2000 or the NSX that will adorn the walls of teenage boys.

The Indica, Indigo and the Sumo might have done the company a lot of good in terms of numbers and cash flow, but they have succeeded in giving the company a very unfortunate image among the urbane crowd.

Tata Motors desperately needs an image enhancer. Over the past few years, Tata has done its homework and its cars are now quite reliable and built to very good international standards. (I can see a few eyebrows raised just by this statement alone.)

In other words, Tata needs ‘aspirational’ vehicles. Cars that you don’t need but want. Cars, that you will sell your Mother in Law if necessary, to buy.

Here are two projects that Tata can embark upon.

1.       Revive the Tata Sierra

2.       Create a two door coupe based on the Manza underpinnings with high performance engines thrown in.

The Tata Sierra has cult following. Even to this day. That car is flawed, make no mistake about it. It had poor reliability, electrical gremlins and bad engines. But it had style. It had a macho street presence with character and a well maintained Sierra can still hold its own against many modern SUV’s. It’s the only Tata vehicle to this day which can evoke feelings of lust.

Revive the Sierra. Plonk in the 2.2 VVT Dicor motor and give it interiors from the Safari VX. Offer it with optional 4×4 and a host of customizable accessories. Kick out the senseless Tata Xenon and price the new Sierra at 8-9 lakhs on road. I will eat my sister’s fish curry if it doesn’t sell blindingly well.

For the coupe, give it an all new body that doesn’t remotely resemble the Indica and for heaven’s sake, please don’t call it Indica sport or whatever. A drool inspiring design unlike any on Indian roads (give it scissor doors if that’s what it takes). Throw in the Fiat Linea’s T-Jet engine and a 120BHP version of the Fiat Multijet diesel. Give it sporty handling and character. Price it around 10lakhs on road.

These two projects can be undertaken by Tata Motors with ease. They will not sell in numbers like the Indica or the Indigo but that’s not the point. The sheer desirability that these two offerings will bring to the TATA brand will rub off very very well on the rest of the product lineup. Other strategies like coming up with clever advertising and participation in motorsport will supplement the brand and work over years.

The next time someone thinks of a new car, Tata’s offerings will be among the forefront.