Tata Motors’ compact SUV, sold in petrol and CNG avatars and soon to also go electric, punches above its weight in the crowded compact SUV market and is the company’s second best-selling model after the Nexon.
04 Jan 2024 | 9173 Views | By Ajit Dalvi
Tata Motors today rolled out its 300,000th Punch compact SUV from its Pune plant. The latest production milestone comes 26 months after the Punch was launched on October 18, 2021. The rapid pace of production is a result of accelerated demand for the youngest model in Tata Motors’ ‘New ...
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Tata Motors today rolled out its 300,000th Punch compact SUV from its Pune plant. The latest production milestone comes 26 months after the Punch was launched on October 18, 2021. The rapid pace of production is a result of accelerated demand for the youngest model in Tata Motors’ ‘New Forever’ range.
The 300,000th Punch has been produced a little over eight months since the 200,000th unit rolled out, indicating sustained and strong demand for this model, which is the fourth best-selling SUV in India in CY2023.
From launch through to end-November 2023, the Tata Punch has clocked total wholesales of 288,861 units (see data table below) in the domestic market. Having averaged monthly sales of 11,366 units in the first 11 months of CY2023, one can expect the Punch to have clocked a similar number in December 2023.
Given the intense competition for the SUV buyer in India, and particularly in the crowded compact SUV space which has over 15 models in the fray, the Punch has delivered sales in spades for the company. Proof of the Punch’s sales power came within the first few months of launch itself and it soon jumped from four-figure sales to five figures in January 2022 with 10,027 units. Since then, other than February’s 2022’s 9,592 units, the Punch has sold in excess of 10,000 units every month with the highest coming up in festive October 2023 (15,317 units).
The Tata Punch had set a new benchmark in the Indian passenger vehicle industry by becoming the first SUV in India to achieve the fastest 100,000 sales milestone in a span of just 10 months. What has helped power demand is the combination of a snazzy design, robust performance and best-in-class 5-star safety. Four days before its launch, on October 14, 2021, the Tata Punch aced the Global NCAP crash test with a 5-star rating (under the previous GNCAP protocol).
The Punch uses Tata Motors' twin-CNG-cylinder tech which deploys two 30-litre capacity tanks in the boot floor to maximise usable boot space.
Punching above its weight
The Tata Punch, offered with both MT and AMT transmission options and sold in all of 33 variants – 28 petrol and five CNG – 13 variants priced from Rs 629,000 for the base Pure variant (Rs 715,000, on-road Delhi) through to the top-end Accomplished (O) CNG (S) which costs Rs 10.90 lakh (on-road Delhi).
While the 1.2-litre petrol engine delivers fuel efficiency of 18.82kpl in Manual and 18.97kpl in AMT, the Punch CNG has a claimed fuel efficiency of 26.99km/kg. The Punch CNG is the fourth model (after the Tigor, Tiago and Altroz) in Tata Motors’ line-up to get a factory-fitted CNG kit. Uniquely, the company has equipped the Punch CNG with its innovative dual-CNG-cylinder technology which helps maximise boot space, which stands at 210 litres in the Punch CNG. Boot space is a key pain-point in most CNG-powered cars with OEMs compelled to compromise the practical usability of the boot due to the placement of the CNG cylinder.
The Tata Punch’s electric avatar, which was spotted testing first in mid-2023 and later in August 2023 equipped with a front charging slot, is slated to be launched later this month. This move should act as a sales accelerator for the Punch as well as Tata Motors which is hugely benefiting from its multi-powertrain strategy of petrol, diesel, CNG and electric.
The Punch EV, which will be slotted below the Nexon MR and above the Tiago EV MR, will go head to head with the Citroen eC3. This could mean a pricing between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 13 lakh (ex-showroom). Bookings are expected to begin soon, with Tata Motors releasing specific information on the Punch EV's range, power and features on official launch day. The Punch EV should serve to add even more punch to the Tata Punch’s overall sales in the competitive Indian marketplace. Watch this space for more updates.
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