From the Nexon in December 2018 to the Punch today, Tata Motors’s sharpened focus on improving vehicle safety with its ALFA and Omega-ARC platforms is paying dividends
14 Oct 2021 | 11906 Views | By Ajit Dalvi
With the new Tata Punch mini SUV acing the Global NCAP crash test with a full five-star rating for adult occupants and four stars for child occupants, Tata Motors is riding a wave of success on the safety front. Its consistent efforts on improving vehicle safety over the last few ...
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With the new Tata Punch mini SUV acing the Global NCAP crash test with a full five-star rating for adult occupants and four stars for child occupants, Tata Motors is riding a wave of success on the safety front. Its consistent efforts on improving vehicle safety over the last few years with its new platforms – ALFA (Agile, Light, Flexible, Advanced) and Omega-ARC – which are spawning its latest range of cars and SUVs are paying dividends.
Deployment of advanced digital simulation techniques and giving importance to the minutest details in the form of joineries, profiles and materials during vehicle development have been the key driving factors for the company's robust performance in the vehicle safety domain.
Growing sales for safer cars, Tata in No. 3 PV position
Over the past three years, the company’s passenger vehicles have consistently notched strong crash test ratings, which is reflecting in sales in the marketplace as car buyers in India turn increasingly safety conscious.
Tata Motors, which is seeing a remarkable turnaround in its passenger vehicle business since the past two years, recorded robust sales in FY2021, driven on the back of a young and dynamic product portfolio.
The carmaker clocked sales of 222,025 units in the 11-month FY2021 (April 2020 was zero production and sale), up 69% (FY2020: 131,196 units. Key contributors to this total were the Nexon (63,756 units in FY2021 vs 43,260 in FY2020), Altroz (60,379 units), Tiago (60,711) and Tigor (14,488). All these models have fared strongly in the Global NCAP tests and between them account for 199,334 or 89 percent of Tata’s total PV sales last fiscal.
In the first quarter of FY2022 (April-June 2021), Tata sold a total of 64,961 units, up 345% (Q1 FY2021: 14,571) including 21,410 Nexons, 15,895 Altroz hatchbacks, 14,119 Tiagos and 3,069 Tigors. Again these four constitute 84 percent of the company’s total PV sales in the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal. Clearly, Tata Motors’ safety mantra is paying off in the ultra-competitive and value-conscious marketplace that is India.
In the first half of FY2022 (April-September 2021), Tata Motors has sold a total of 149,525 units, up 113% uear on year (H1 FY2020: 70,081). With this, the company’s PV market share has increased into double-digits: 11%. It is currently the No. 3 in the pecking order after Maruti Suzuki (43%) and Hyundai Motor India (17.5%). Of this total, 74,199 comprised passenger cars (for a market share of 11%) and 72,120 utility vehicles (11% market share).
Packing a punch in Global NCAP crash tests
In December 2018, the Nexon crossover became India’s first five-star-rated car by Global NCAP. It was soon followed by the Tiago hatchback and Tigor sedan duo that scored a respectable four stars for their price-conscious segment.
Tata’s premium hatchback Altroz too aced the crash tests with a five-star rating in January 2020, and in August 2021 the Tigor EV took the carmaker's game forward in the electric vehicle space as well with a 4-star rating. The latest is the Tata Punch, which is to be officially launched on October 18. The Tata Punch was tested in the most basic safety spec, fitted with two airbags, ABS and ISOFIX, achieving a five-star rating for adult occupants & four stars for child occupants.
Commenting on the latest round of tests, Rajendra Petkar, President & Chief Technology Officer, Tata Motors, said: “We are delighted to offer yet another five-star rated car from our stable – the Tata Punch. It is an Industry first achievement in the sub-compact SUV segment and a testimony to Tata Motors' continued commitment and leadership on product safety. This achievement is in line with our philosophy that vehicle safety should be made accessible to all. Getting the GNCAP five-star for vehicle program comes as an outcome of the relentless hard work put in by cross-functional teams across the organisation, including our supplier partners. Together they have delivered yet another excellent package consisting of an outstanding structural integrity while deploying ‘digital-first’ strategy.”