Tata has all the necessary ingredients to capture more market share in the Indian automobile industry than it currently has. Although, the market share of the carmakers has seen some tremendous growth over the last couple of years. At this point in time, it sits comfortably at the 3rd spot on the list of largest car manufacturers in the country. Needless to say, the list is topped by Maruti Suzuki with over 45% market share, followed by Hyundai with just over 17%. Tata Motors has been riding on the back of successful products like Nexon, Tigor, Tiago, Altroz and Harrier. It currently owns around 8.7% market in India.
Also read: Tata HBX (Hornbill) spied testing!
Going forward, Tata is confident of reaching the 10% market share by the end of next financial year. We have no reasons to believe why Tata can not achieve this mark. Especially with the recent launch of the iconic Safari and the upcoming micro-SUV HBX (Hornbill). Safari is a product that people related with for a long time and this new avatar as the flagship offering from Tata Motors might increase its appeal. The prices of the Safari range between Rs 14.69 lakh and Rs 21.45 lakh, ex-showroom. There is just one direct rival at the moment in MG Hector Plus. Although, there will be the launch of Mahindra XUV500 sometime this year. We have already done a detailed report on the Safari which you can read about here.
Tata Altroz i-Turbo and HBX (Hornbill)
The main contributors to Tata’s sales figures include the premium hatchback Altroz, which was launched with a turbo-petrol option just a couple of months ago. Tata claims that Altroz will make up for over 10% of Tata’s overall sales in the country. This represents Tata’s confidence in the only 5-star safety-rated hatchback in the country. That is a volume churner for Tata in addition to the other hatchback, Tiago as well as Tigor. All these products have helped Tata to get to an 8.7% market share at the moment.
The next product from Tata is aiming at an even more affordable price segment with HBX (Hornbill). We have reported earlier that it has been spotted testing multiple times after showcasing in the Auto Expo 2020. From what we can tell from all the spy images, the exterior of the Hornbill will almost be identical to the one featured in the Auto Expo 2020. The front has this bold, large grille with skid plates and LED DRLs in the bonnet. Like the Harrier, the headlamp unit will be placed down below on the bumper. The rear tail lamps will carry the tri-arrow theme forwards. Since the Hornbill will be based on Tata’s ALFA platform, which underpins its premium hatchback, the Altroz, the cabin space is bound to be huge. In fact, it might well turn out to be the most spacious car in its segment. All-in-all, this little SUV is anything but little. It looks very muscular with large wheel arches.
Also read: Tata Nexon EV enjoys 64% market share in the Indian EV market!
The expected engine options include a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine making 86hp. There might well be turbo petrol on offer as well. This engine will come mated to a 5-speed manual or the spied 5-speed AMT gearbox. The prices are expected to be around Rs 4 lakh to Rs 8 lakh, ex-showroom. This will create challenges for products like Renault Kwid, Maruti Suzuki Ignis and Mahindra KUV100 NXT. Tata is expecting to sell a lot of HBX considering the specs and design it will come with.
