Even as Tata Motors is planning to launch two new products every year till 2020 to revamp its product portfolio, the home grown auto major said it would continue to retain its earlier passenger car models.
“There is no immediate plan to phase out other vehicles. We will continue to sell brands such as Indigo. In the passenger segment, we are looking at giving more options to the consumer by increasing our portfolio. We have launched the Zest for which we have received a good response. This will be followed by Bolt (a hatchback), later this year,” Tata Motors President, Passenger Vehicles, Ranjit Yadav, told reporters here.
Tata Motors, which, on Wednesday, launched its compact sedan Zest in the Delhi NCR, priced between Rs.4.64 lakh and Rs.6.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), has been witnessing declining sales in the segment over the last few months.
In July 2014, its passenger vehicle sales stood at 9,167 units, down 15 per cent against 10,824 vehicles sold in July 2013. Sales of Nano/Indica/Indigo range during the month were 6,703 units, lower by 22 per cent over 8,546 vehicles sold in July 2013. On the other hand, Sumo/ Safari/Aria/ Venture range sales grew 8 per cent to 2,464 units.
Asked about the segments which the new launches would address, Mr. Yadav said, “We showed our compact sports utility vehicle Nexon during the Auto Expo earlier this year. This is one of the segments which we are interested in. That time we had said we would launch it in 24 months. There is also the new AMT version on Nano that we showcased.”