Into the premium sedan segment Tata unlikely to foray

Tata Motors, which is more often tagged with the ultra-low cost car Tata Nano, seems to be jinxed where its D-segment foray is concerned. The auto major is taking one step ahead and retracing two steps backward instead. A premium D-segment sedan is what the car manufacturer is missing at the moment from its stable.

This does not mean that Tata Motors have not put enough effort in that direction. It is just that things are not working well just in this area where the car manufacturer failed to deliver the Tata Magna concept earlier and Tata Prima concept which it proudly showcased at the 2009 Geneva Motor show followed by public appraisal sought at 2010 Indian Auto Expo.

Tata Motors dreams are long forgotten as its experiment with Tata Aria still manage to send shivers down the spine when the consumers ate the car manufacturer alive just for its single slip i.e. getting the Tata Aria price wrong.

Priced at Rs 11.61 lakh and up, there are many premium products offered by global OEMs within this price bracket where Toyota Innova ruthlessly beat the former which clearly shows that brand value speaks a lot whether you agree or not. Tata Motors learnt a lesson or two from this, as even the low-end D-segment is fraught with sharks like Skoda Laura, Honda Civic and Renault Fluence.

This makes us wonder if Tata Motors is basically not meant for the premium sedan segment which might as well surmise in the safety haven of ultra-low cost hatchbacks and the entry-level sedan segment or delve the depths of its recently discovered interests in the hybrid, electric segment.

This brings us to the Tata Motors recently acquired glory with the Tata Pixel, Tata Nano CNG and Tata Manza hybrid concepts it brought to the 2012 Auto Expo which once again proves the auto major’s core area of expertise.