NEW DELHI: Amidst a surge in sales of its passenger vehicles, Tata Motors on Monday drove in a mini SUV, the Punch, pricing the entry variant at Rs 5.49 (ex-showroom), looking to increase the company’s monthly sales to over 40,000 units against the average 30,000 now.
The car – which will sit below Tata’s Nexon SUV -- will compete with models such as Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger just as the company hopes to get hatchback and mini sedan customers within its fold.
Tata now has four SUVs under its brand, starting from the Punch, and then moving up to Nexon, and thereafter into the premium ones Harrier and Safari.
Shailesh Chandra, president of Tata Motors’ passenger vehicles business unit, said a crunch in supplies of semi-conductors will impact the production of the company’s line-up, though it is taking steps to ease the pressure.
Also, he said that the Punch doesn’t lack in offroading capabilities even though it has a diminutive demeanor.
“While the Punch is surely a mini, we are confident that it will give an uncompromised SUV experience. It has a contemporary design, tall stance, high ground clearance, versatile and engaging performance, apart from having spacious interiors,” Chandra told TOI.
The Punch, which comes with a 1.2-litre petrol engine, will be available in four variants and its top version costs Rs 8.5 lakh. The AMT version starts from the second variant and costs an additional Rs 60,000.
Speaking about the semiconductor shortage, he said that production within the company’s factory is being “prioritised” towards the Punch. “We will give priority allocation to the new car even though we expect an improvement in situation over the coming months.”
On the company’s sales, he said that Tata Motors has been “trending at around 30,000 level” on a monthly basis, and expects to do higher with the Punch. “We can definitely expect much higher from where we are. In terms of demand, we expect to be higher by around 25-30%.”
Asked whether the Punch can cannibalise Tata’s other products such as the Tiago hatchback, he said the cars are from different product categories and thus chances to this effect are slim.
“I don’t see cannibalisation. The Tiago is a mid-hatch car, while the Punch is an SUV. The segments are very different.”
