Tata Motors, VP Of Sales, Marketing & Customer Service, Rajan Amba Talks The Recently Launched Kaziranga Range And More

Tata Motors in recent times has been constantly adding more spice to its model range with special edition trims. Not only do these trims add fresh colours, but some of them also come with a little extra kit over their standard counterparts, the Kaziranga Edition range of SUVs being the most recent additions.  

We had a chat with Rajan Amba, Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Customer Service at Tata Motors on the decisions behind these special edition models, the Tata SUVs' stronghold in the automotive industry as well as what’s in the pipeline for the future:

Q: What exactly prompted Tata Motors to launch the Kaziranga Editions? 

Rajan Amba: I think we've been doing special editions for quite some time, starting with ‘Dark’ for example. We had the ‘Black Gold’ and the ‘White Gold’ in the Safari, we had the Tiago CNG, for example. The original one was the Altroz Gold, so to speak. So I think that it's something that’s kind of seeped into our system. And we find that not only is it interesting to create, but it's also very interesting for the consumers because in most cases the consumers have really enjoyed it and the sales numbers kind of reflect that.  

Kaziranga in particular is a desire to reflect our DNA as the Indian carmaker and take something from India that inspires us and give back in the form of these cars to our consumers. And the Kaziranga Edition is a perfect example of that, where we've taken inspiration from the biodiversity of Kaziranga, inspiration from the one-horned rhino, and tried to celebrate it through a wonderful execution in our SUV portfolio. This happily, and coincidentally also kind of celebrates us attaining the number one SUV position in Q3 FY22.   

Q: We also see that select cars like the Nexon and the Harrier get new features. So can we expect these features to be introduced in standard variants in the near future?

RA: Introducing features always means that, there's a certain cost implication. We have to keep in mind, what are the different price bands that consumers operate in. But yeah, certainly, when we see a lot of usage and traction around new feature additions, we then bring it down to other costs.  

If you look at the ‘Dark’ for example, when we first launched it, the first edition was only for the Harrier. When we did the second edition, we brought it onto the Nexon and the Altroz, as well as the Nexon EV. And then just recently last month we launched the Safari ‘Dark’ as well, which did not exist earlier. So we look at how these products were formed, we look at what the demand from the consumer is. The Safari ‘Dark’ was put out there last month simply because the moment we launched Harrier ‘Dark’, the second version we got immediate demand from consumers for that. And all the while we thought that the ‘Black Gold’ will do the job, but clearly the ‘Black Gold’ was for a different kind of consumer. So it's something that we always work on. Firstly, we look at opportunities to put it out there if we see the right kind of response.

Q: Speaking of the Nexon EV, why was  it left behind for the Kaziranga Edition?

RA: We have some other plans for it, so stay tuned.

Q: There has been a dramatic boost in Tata Motors sales, especially of the SUV lineup. So what's the next new SUV segment that you're looking to enter?

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RA: You know, I can't answer that question. But the only thing I would say that, that if you've been following us closely for the last year and a half, you know that there's always going to be excitement around the Tata Motors brand. Whether it's model launches, like the Punch, whether it's powertrain interventions, whether it's special editions, I think we've got kind of a formula that we think is working and we're gonna keep on exciting consumers on the basis of that. So just wait and watch is all I can say.

Q: Talking about features, we see that ADAS nowadays is the most talked about feature like in the compact to midsize SUV segment. So when can we expect a Tata SUV to feature the same? 

RA: I think the whole ADAS space is evolving very rapidly, no doubt. It's something that we are working on, but we want to make sure that what we put out there is the best in the market. It's next gen, it should be in line with what the future developments in ADAS will be. So it's something which is a work in progress for sure. 

Q: So can we expect these new features in the Harrier and Safari in the near future? 

RA: Whenever we are ready, we will obviously look at our entire portfolio and decide where we want to start with. Just like what we earlier talked about in the beginning of this conversation, we’ll start somewhere and then we'll expand it across the portfolio. But it's still early days, because there's still a lot of work ahead of us. 

Q: About these Kaziranga Editions, will these be limited for a short period or will they stay in the lineup of the SUVs that you’ve launched? 

RA: I think for us it is a special edition, not so much a limited edition because it's not X number of pieces or this is not for a certain timeframe. So there are two ways to look at it. One is from a natural product lifecycle perspective, which simply means that when we are ready with the next thought and the next inspiration that we put out there, there is a possibility that this will get replaced with inspiration. On the other hand, if the demand for it continues to be strong, then it's something that will continue to remain in the market while we look at adding, whatever it is that we’re working on in any case. 

Tata Motors has had quite the stronghold in the SUV segment with the carmaker being the no.1 SUV manufacturer in Q3 FY22, selling 67,975 units. It’s SUV range currently comprises the Punch, Nexon, Nexon EV, the Harrier and the Safari.