Latest news with #VivekSrivatsa
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Auto recap, May 27: Tata Altroz facelift reaches showrooms, TVS Jupiter 125 teased, Mercedes-AMG G 63 special edition
Here is your quick check on the biggest developments in the world of automobiles. Here is your quick check on the biggest developments in the world of automobiles. Check Offers The automotive industry is progressing rapidly, presenting difficulties in staying abreast of all the latest advancements. At HT Auto, we are dedicated to delivering the most relevant and current information as it becomes available. Below is a concise overview of the key highlights from Tuesday, May 27. Premium hatchbacks have huge growth potential and will define entire hatchback segment: Tata Motors official Tata Motors recently launched the updated iteration of its premium hatchback Altroz at an introductory price of ₹ 6.89 lakh (ex-showroom). The 2025 Tata Altroz facelift comes with a host of updates enhancing its upmarket quotient, reenergising the segment where it competes with rivals such as Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Hyundai i20 and Toyota Glanza. The OEM has already revealed that it is betting big on the new Altroz for the hatchback segment to bounce back. HT Auto had an exclusive interaction with Vivek Srivatsa, Chief Commercial Officer of Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, where he said that premium hatchbacks will play a crucial role for the existence of hatchbacks in the near future. Also Read : Premium hatchbacks have huge growth potential and will define entire hatchback segment, says top Tata Motors official TVS Jupiter 125 teasers afloat on social media TVS Motor is preparing to launch a new iteration of the Jupiter 125. The company has shared teasers of the scooter on social media, sharing key design details. This new model will be a successor to the previously launched Jupiter 125. The teasers showcase two colours of the scooter, which include a Grey shade as well as a dual-tone white and ivory brown shade. This will be a step up for the manufacturer, as this model has been largely unchanged since 2021. Here are some of the potential updates expected on the upcoming two-wheeler. Also Read : TVS Jupiter 125 teasers afloat on social media. Here's what it could feature Tata Altroz facelift starts reaching showrooms, bookings to begin on June 2 Launched at an introductory starting price of ₹ 6.89 lakh (ex-showroom), the new Tata Altroz has now started reaching dealerships across the country ahead of its booking commencement date, which is scheduled on June 2. Available in petrol, diesel and petrol-CNG powertrain choices, the Altroz facelift's pricing goes up to ₹ 11.49 lakh (ex-showroom). Also Read : Tata Altroz facelift starts reaching showrooms, bookings to begin on June 2 India-exclusive Mercedes-AMG G 63 'Collector's Edition' set to launch on June 12 Mercedes-AMG G 63 'Collector's Edition' is set to be launched in India on June 12, 2024. Interestingly, the new Collector's Edition will be specifically designed for India. Mercedes-Benz India has stated that the AMG G 63 'Collector's Edition' is configured and presented jointly by the teams of Mercedes-Benz India and Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India. Given that the new collector's edition will be available in limited numbers, the prices are expected to be upwards of ₹ 4 crore, ex-showroom. The teaser images showcased by the carmaker hint at a bright exterior paintwork for the iconic SUV, a bright orange paint shade to be specific. Other than this, the Mercedes-AMG G 63 'Collector's Edition new alloy wheel design as well. Meanwhile, the overall shape and silhouette of the SUV is expected to remain the same, with key design elements being similar to those found on the regular model. Also Read : India-exclusive Mercedes-AMG G 63 'Collector's Edition' set to launch on June 12. Check details Get insights into Upcoming Cars In India, Electric Vehicles, Upcoming Bikes in India and cutting-edge technology transforming the automotive landscape. First Published Date: 28 May 2025, 06:54 AM IST
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Premium hatchbacks have huge growth potential and will define entire hatchback segment, says top Tata Motors official
Tata Motors has reenergized the premium hatchback segment where it has competitors like Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Hyundai i20 and Toyota Glanza as well. Check Offers Hatchbacks have been witnessing an ever-shrinking market share in the Indian passenger vehicle market over the last few years, owing to the rapidly rising pressure from SUVs and crossovers, as well as MPVs. The hatchback sales have slumped significantly over the past decade, despite once being the backbone of the Indian passenger vehicle market. While 10 years ago, the hatchback market share in the total industry sales volume was about 50 per cent, now it has come down to about 22 per cent. Following the demand and sales slump, key OEMs like Honda, Toyota, and Ford have called it quits from this space. Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Hyundai currently continue to sell their respective cars in this space, but there lies the question: how long? In such a situation, Tata Motors recently launched the updated iteration of its premium hatchback Altroz at an introductory price of ₹ 6.89 lakh (ex-showroom). The 2025 Tata Altroz facelift comes with a host of updates enhancing its upmarket quotient, reenergising the segment where it competes with rivals such as Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Hyundai i20 and Toyota Glanza. The OEM has already revealed that it is betting big on the new Altroz for the hatchback segment to bounce back. HT Auto had an exclusive interaction with Vivek Srivatsa, Chief Commercial Officer of Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, where he said that premium hatchbacks will play a crucial role for the existence of hatchbacks in the near future. Premium hatchbacks will help the hatch segment to stay afloat With the entry-level hatchbacks losing their value proposition to a larger number of car buyers owing to their increased cost, consumers have been exploring the idea of buying a larger car by paying a little extra, which in many cases is for premium hatchbacks. With the first-time car buyers showing interest in buying premium hatchbacks and this segment recording impressive growth from lower-tier cities, especially the tier-two cities, Srivatsa believes this category will play a key role in keeping the segment's business afloat. Also Read : Upcoming cars in India According to him, for many first-time car buyers, purchasing a passenger vehicle is an achievement, not a sign of transactional ability. This is where the premium hatchbacks are playing a key role in winning consumer sentiments. The premium hatchbacks offer a greater value proposition compared to the entry-level models, with upmarket features at a slight premium pricing, without affecting the practicality and burning a hole in the consumers' pockets. Srivatsa believes that despite the massive slump in sales figures over the last decade, the hatchback segment will retain about 20 per cent of the total industry volume. A lot of this 20 per cent will come from premium hatchbacks, he believes. Exciting products will help this segment and the consumers in this space to reenergise. 'Premium hatchbacks will actually define the entire hatchback segment," said the top Tata Motors official. Premium hatchbacks shaping consumer preference Indian consumers have been evolving a lot in the last few years. When it comes to buying a car, Indian consumers seek more features, premium appeal, which is in sync with the overall consumer aspiration, witnessing an evolution across different sectors. Premium hatchbacks have played a key role in this evolution in the auto sector. Speaking about this, Srivatsa said that one of the major changes Tata Motors tried to bring to the new Altroz is equalising it with compact SUVs. In fact, the new Altroz comes with design elements that are similar to the Tata Nexon, one of the most successful models from the brand. It was always that hatchbacks had slightly fewer features and compact SUVs had more of them. However, with the premium hatchbacks, those features are available in cars positioned lower than the C-SUVs. This is helping in reshaping the consumer preference in the Indian passenger vehicle market by encouraging many buyers to opt for premium hatchbacks instead of compact SUVs. Check out Upcoming Cars in India 2024, Best SUVs in India. First Published Date: 27 May 2025, 13:16 PM IST
Mint
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Mint
How Tata Motors plans to win back the market with its hatchbacks
New Delhi: Tata Motors plans to increase the share of small hatchback cars in its overall portfolio to nearly a quarter, up from 19% currently, as it looks to reclaim ground in India's competitive auto market. Unlike the country's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, which remains bearish about the future of small hatchbacks, Tata Motors believes premium offerings in the ₹7-10 lakh range in the segment have potential. Vivek Srivatsa, chief commercial officer at Mumbai-based Tata Motors, acknowledges that a lack of focus on upgrading products in the hatchback segment resulted in the company losing market share. 'Earlier, customers would start with entry-level hatchbacks and then move to premium offerings. But now, many are directly starting with hatchback cars," Srivatsa told Mint post the launch of Tata Altroz's facelift on Thursday. With Tiago and Altroz's facelifts in the last five months, the country's third-largest car maker hopes that its share in the premium hatchback segment will double from 12% currently. In the financial year 2025, Tata Motors' total sales declined by 3% to 556,263 units. Meanwhile, Mahindra and Mahindra's dispatches surged 20% to 551,487 units on the back of strong SUV (sports utility vehicles) sales. While SUVs dominate the market, Tata Motors still believes the hatchback segment can do well if investments are made in enhancing product quality. Tata's Altroz competes with Maruti's Baleno and Hyundai's i20, among others. 'Post the upgrade of Tiago in January, the growth was around 20% in its sales in the last quarter," Srivatsa noted. The optimistic guidance of Tata Motors on hatchbacks contrasts with Maruti Suzuki's stance. At a post-earnings press meet, R.C. Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki, expressed concern over the company's slow growth in the domestic market. 'Unless something changes, the domestic market will remain muted. In this current year, sales of small cars have declined by about 9%. If there is such a decline in the sales of cars that can be afforded by 88% of people earning, how can we expect growth?" Bhargava asked. Maruti's overall sales in the domestic market grew a muted 3% to 1.9 million units in the last financial year, mostly on the back of an 82% surge in sales to Toyota as part of its partnership. Excluding this, Maruti's growth in the domestic market was around 0.2%. Hyundai Motor India Ltd also flagged weak consumer sentiment in the market. The South Korean car maker said it will instead focus on 7-8% growth in exports to offset the weak consumer demand. Its sales in the last financial year declined 3% to 598,666. Also Read: Jaguar Land Rover tariff hit compounds Tata Motors' domestic woes Going premium Meanwhile, Tata Motors remains bullish about the prospects in the Indian market and is guiding for about 5% growth, higher than the industry's estimates of 1-2% growth in the current financial year. 'Much of the degrowth in the market has happened in the cheaper hatchbacks. Consumers are expecting a lot more from their cars, which is leading a lot of car buyers to directly jump to premium hatchbacks," Srivatsa said. The push toward premium hatchbacks is part of Tata's strategy to revive volume growth, especially after net profit slipped 11% to ₹28,100 crore in FY25 from ₹31,800 crore in the previous year. "Refresh launches of Altroz and Tiago (launched in Q4) will help Tata Motors regain lost market share in hatches, while the launch of Sierra ICE and EV and Harrier EV may strengthen Utility Vehicle share," Elara Capital said in a 14 May note. The company acknowledged, post the release of the results, that the global environment is challenging. 'Tariffs and related geopolitical actions are making the operating environment uncertain and challenging. The global premium luxury segment and Indian domestic markets are expected to weather this relatively better," Tata Motors noted on 13 May. Apart from focusing on getting the premium hatchback segment right, the company is also closely tracking the trends in the electric vehicle and hybrid vehicles markets. 'Tata Motors has always believed that hybrids are an old technology. From a sustainability point of view, there are not many advantages. However, if consumer demand picks up, we will have no issue in starting the production of the vehicle," Srivatsa said. Also Read: Q4 earnings watch: The auto sector is stuck in a profit jam. Why the squeeze? According to Deloitte's latest global automotive consumer study, only 8% of Indian consumers were interested in pure electric vehicles, while 33% of the study's respondents preferred hybrid cars. Tata Motors' electric vehicle sales declined by 13% in the last financial year to 64,276 cars. In 2025 so far, Tata Motors share price has declined 4% as compared to the 1.81% rise in Nifty Auto. "A major concern for the company would be international challenges but a positive is the fact that JLR continues to be profitable. Domestically, the company has to watch out for rising competition eating into its market share," Saji John, senior research analyst at Geojit Financial Services, said.
New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- New Indian Express
Tata Motors aims to outpace PV industry growth in FY26
Homegrown auto-major Tata Motors expects its passenger vehicle (PV) sales to outpace industry growth this fiscal, driven by new launches and model upgrades. The automaker on Thursday launched the all-new version of Altroz to strengthen its presence in the premium hatchback segment and will launch the next month, followed by the highly anticipated Sierra SUV later this year. 'The growth will continue to be in low single digit like 4-5% for the PV industry this fiscal. In the last few years, Tata Motors hardly had any launches. This year, however. is going to be a year of launches. So, we expect a much higher growth than the industry,' Vivek Srivatsa, Chief Commercial Officer at Tata Passenger Electric Mobility told TNIE. The company also aims to reclaim a 25% market share in the premium hatchback segment. PV sales in India moderated last fiscal. As per Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) data, retail PV sales in the domestic market grew by 4.9% at 41,53,432 units in FY25 as compared to 39,60,602 units in FY24. Tata Motors' retail sales had declined marginally to 5,35,960 in FY25 units as compared to 5,39,567 units in FY24, as per FADA data. The maker of Punch and Nexon SUV announced plans to expand its retail footprint in India and strengthen its international presence in FY26. 'We have re-entered Sri Lanka, entered Mauritius, and will soon tap into larger markets. We aim to be present in at least 4-5 new markets within the next year," said Srivatsa.
New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- New Indian Express
Tata Motors aims to outpace industry growth in passenger vehicle sales in FY26
Homegrown auto major Tata Motors expects its passenger vehicle (PV) sales to outpace industry growth this fiscal, driven by new launches and model upgrades. The automaker on Thursday launched the all-new version of Altroz to strengthen its presence in the premium hatchback segment and will launch the next month, followed by the highly anticipated Sierra SUV later this year. 'The growth will continue to be in low single digit like 4-5% for the PV industry this fiscal. In the last few years, Tata Motors hardly had any launches. This year, however, is going to be a year of launches. So, we expect a much higher growth than the industry,' Vivek Srivatsa, Chief Commercial Officer at Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, told TNIE. The company also aims to reclaim a 25% market share in the premium hatchback segment. PV sales in India moderated last fiscal. As per Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) data, retail PV sales in the domestic market grew by 4.9% at 41,53,432 units in FY25 as compared to 39,60,602 units in FY24. Tata Motors' retail sales had declined marginally to 5,35,960 in FY25 units as compared to 5,39,567 units in FY24, as per FADA data. The maker of the Punch and Nexon SUVs announced plans to expand its retail footprint in India and strengthen its international presence in FY26. 'We have re-entered Sri Lanka, entered Mauritius, and will soon tap into larger markets. We aim to be present in at least 4-5 new markets within the next year," said Srivatsa.
