IBS Center for Management Research

MKTG/286

Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintainthe Momentum?

This case was written by Aditya Shankar Mishra, IBS, Hyderabad, under the direction of Debapratim Purkayastha, IBS Center for Management Research. It was compiled from published sources, and is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation.

2011, IBS Center for Management Research. All rights reserved.To order copies, call +91-08417-236667/68 or write to IBS Center for Management Research (ICMR), IFHE Campus, Donthanapally, Sankarapally Road, Hyderabad 501 504, Andhra Pradesh, India or email: info @ icmrindia . org

www . icmrindia . org

MKTG/286

Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car

Maintain the Momentum?

“If it was out-of-the-box thinking that led to the birth of the Nano in 2003, it is a similar stream of innovative marketing ideas that is now helping resuscitate the Rs1-lakh car after sales crashed to a mere 509 units last November.”i

– The Economic Times, May 10, 2011

“When we started, around 80 per cent of Nano customers were buying it as a second car and 20 per cent were first-time buyers. Now the ratio is about 50:50 and ultimately, we are looking at 80 per cent first time buyers purchasing the car, which is what we had aimed when we started off.”ii

– R. Ramakrishnan, Vice-President (commercial-passenger cars) of Tata Motors Ltd.,

in 2011

INTRODUCTION

In April 2011, the Tata Nano crossed the 10,000-mark in terms of unit sales. Its sales figure of10,012 fetched it the sixth rank among passenger cars in India for the month as well as for the year till then. Analysts felt that this was a remarkable revival for the Nano as its sales figure had touched an all-time low just six months earlier — in November 2010. Achieving this turnaround was not easy. Analysts said that attractive and effective television advertisements, providing of additional protection in the exhaust system of the car to avoid fire incidents, extended free of cost warranty schemes, incremental rise in sales points in smaller towns, and introduction of the 90% financing plan through its in-house vehicle financing unit Tata Motor Finance, had made the turnaround possible. Since the Nano‘s launch in January 2008 at the Auto Expo, New Delhi, it had been a talking point in the automobile industry across the globe for its design, cost and fuel efficiency, and innovative ways of distribution.

Though its unique combination of lower cost and innovative features had given it the title of‗wonder car‘ for the people, its rising prices had been slowly pushing it out of the reach of its real target customers. Experts noted that the Nano had been launched initially for middle class families riding unsafely on two-wheelers on Indian roads,

but a continuous price rise was making it difficult for these families to migrate from bikes to the Nano.

A crack team led by R Ramakrishnan, VP (commercial-passenger cars), and Girish Wagh (Wagh), vice-president & head (small car project) was credited with orchestrating the revival of the Tata Nano. The team was keeping a close watch on the Nano‘s progress and was working to ensure that there was a constant focus on the target customer segment. However, analysts said they had a long and arduous road ahead in maintaining and building upon the sales momentum. In the future, other car manufacturing companies were also planning to launch their low cost variants in India. The challenge before the Nano‘s marketing team was how to counter those competitors and simultaneously attract the low-income customers.

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BACKGROUND NOTE Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintain the Momentum?

The Tata Group, an Indian multinational conglomerate , w as headquartered at Bombay House i n India‘s financial capital, Mumbai . ii i Founded in 1868, the company was in its fifth generation of family stewardship in the first decade of the new millennium.iv It was the largest private corporate group in India in terms of market capitalization and revenues. The total revenue of the Tata companies, taken together, was US$67.4 billion in 2009-10, with 57% coming from business outside India. The Tata companies employed around 395,000 people worldwide. The Group‘s interests were spread over various industries such as communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products, and chemicals. The Tata Group had operations in more than 80 countries across six continents and its companies exported products and services to 85 countries as of 2011.

The Tata Group consisted of 114 companies and subsidiaries in eight business sectors, 28 of which were public listed companies. Various charitable organizationsv held 65% ownership of Tata Sons , the key holding company of the other 114 Tata Group companies, Companies which formed a major part of the group included Tata Steel ( including Tata Steel Europe ), Tata Motors ( including Jaguar a nd Land Rover ), Tata Consultancy Services , Tata Technologies , Tata Tea ( including Tetley ) , Tata Chemicals , Titan Industries , Tata Power , Tata Communications , Tata Sons , Tata Teleservices , and the Taj Hotels . T he 2009 annual survey by the Reputation Institute ranked the Tata Group as the 11th most reputable company in the world.vi The survey included 600 global companies. The Tata Group was a pioneer in establishing and financing numerous quality research, educational, and cultural institutes in India. The Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy w as awarded to the Group in 2007 in recognition of its long history of philanthropic activities.vii

Tata Motors Ltd., a part of the Tata Group , was earlier known as TELCO (TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company). It was India‘s largest automobile manufacturing company, with consolidated revenues of US$ 27 billion in 2010-11. It was the leader in commercial vehicles and among the top three in passenger vehicles in India. Tata Motors had products in the compact and midsize car and utility vehicle segments. The company was the world‘s fourth largest truck manufacturer, the world‘s second largest bus manufacturer, and had an employee strength of over25,000. Between 1954 and 2011, Tata Motors had produced and sold over 5.9 million vehicles inIndia. It had auto manufacturing and assembly plants in Jamshedpur , Pantnagar , Lucknow , Ahmedabad , Sanand , Dharwad , and Pune i n India, as well as in Argentina, South Africa, and Thailand.viii

Established in 1945 when it began manufacturing locomotives , t he company manufactured its first commercial vehicle in 1954 in collaboration with Daimler - Benz AG1. This collaboration ended in1969.ix In 2005, Tata Motors was ranked among the top 10 corporations in India with an annual

revenue exceeding Rs .2 320 billion. In September 2004, Tata Motors became the first company from India‘s engineering sector to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.x In 2010, TataMotors surpassed Reliance to win the prestigious title of ‗India‘s most valuable brand‘ in anannual survey conducted by ‗Brand Finance‘ and ‗The Economic Times‘.xi

ABOUT TATA NANO

The Tata Nano, one of the most ambitious projects of Tata Motors, started in 2003. It was envisioned by the Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata himself. He found that Indians lagged behind in car ownership, especially compared to the European Union and the Americas. Just eight or nine in a thousand people owned a car. Many of the Indians either owned a two wheeler or relied on

1 It was a German manufacturer of automobiles, motor vehicles and internal combustion engines; founded in 1926. Since August 2007, the name of this company is Dailmer AG.

2 Rs. = Indian Rupees. As of September 2011, US$1 was approximately equal to Rs. 50.00.

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Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintain the Momentum?public transport. It was this issue that prompted Ratan Tata to embark upon doing what people thought was impossible.xii The mission was to design, conceive, and develop a car costing no more than rupees one lakh3 (Rs. 100,000) for the base model. The psychological price barrier of ‗one lakh‘ immediately made news globally in 2006 when Ratan Tata announced this project at the Auto Expo 2006 in New Delhi. Industry observers were skeptical and started questioning his vision. They felt that the project would never take shape and that the car was doomed even before it was born.xiii

However, Ratan Tata delivered on his promise and on January 10, 2008, he unveiled the Nano at the Auto Expo, Delhi. He said, “I observed families riding on two-wheelers — the father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a little baby. It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport for such a family. Tata Motors‘ engineers and designers gave their all for about four years to realize this goal. Today, we indeed have a People‘s Car, which is affordable and yet built to meet safety requirements and emission norms, to be fuel efficient and low on emissions. We are happy to present the People‘s Car to India and we hope it brings the joy, pride, and utility of owning a car to many families who need personal mobility,‖4

Overnight, the Nano became the talking point of the global automotive industry. It made more news than any other car launch had ever made. Leading automotive companies around the world, who had never really considered Tata Motors a serious threat in passenger cars, had to go back to their own drawing boards to take a relook at their strategies. Critics applauded India for this achievement. However, some environmentalists questioned cringed at the idea and wondered if the‗Nanos‘ would not add to the already crowded streets of India, making them even more chaotic. Some also doubted whether the Nano could have the best safety equipment given its low cost. But according to Wagh, ―The Nano meets all regulations in the Indian market. The package protected car also meets all future regulations in Europe as well, which includes offset frontal and side impact.‖xiv Regarding the questions raised by environmentalists, R. G. Rajhans, Project Manager (Body Systems), Tata Technologies, said, ―Currently, the car meets Bharat III norms, which are applicable in 11 cities while it meets the Bharat Stage II norms in the rest of the country. We will meet the Bharat Stage IV and Euro IV requirements as well.‖xv (Refer to Exhibit 5 for Indian Emission Standards for Four-wheel Vehicles)

In Geneva 2008, the Nano made its first overseas premiere. The press kits for the Nano were distributed within minutes and the demand was so high that Tata Motors had to get 7-8 times more copies printed than it originally had. There was a big hype surrounding the car and the Nano won several accolades and awards for its efficiency and design (Refer to Exhibit 2). So far, the path had proved smooth for the Nano.xvi

But then came a series of setbacks. The Tatas had to exit from Singur (West Bengal) on charges of alleged irregularities in land acquisition.xvii Tata had planned the Singur factory especially for the Nano‘s assembly line. This exit delayed the production of the Nano by six months. On March 23,

2009, Tata started production of the Nano from a makeshift assembly line at Pantnagar (UP) and launched the car in three variants, priced between Rs. 123,000 and Rs. 175,000 approximately. The―one lakh‖ (100,000) price was ex factory, India, for the non AC model. Meanwhile, Tata announced the relocation of the Nano plant to Sanand (Gujarat).xviii When bookings opened on April 9, 2009, Tata Motors dealers anticipated a huge surge of customers. The company printed over two million booking forms and expected bookings to be more than 500,000. State Bank of India5 bought several thousand forms from the company expecting a rush of people looking to buy

3 Then around US$2500.4 Ratan Tata Releasing Nano to World on January 10, 2008 at Auto Expo, New Delhi

5 State Bank of India (SBI) is the largest Indian b anking and financial services company (by turnover and total assets) with its headquarters in Mumbai , India .

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Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintain the Momentum?

the People‘s Car. Yet with each passing day, the disappointment mounted. On April 25, 2009, when the bookings closed, Tata Motors announced that it had received a total of 206,703 bookings. But only 100,000 ‗lucky‘ customers would be getting delivery of the car till the last quarter of

2010.xixHowever, the issue which drew the most attention was that the maximum number of bookings — approximately 55 percent — was for the top-end CX model and the least priced non AC model received just 20 percent bookings.xx It was found that many of those who booked cars were either rich people tempted to own a slice of automotive history or people with multiple cars, who wanted a second or a third car for short work or congested city driving. Very few bookings came from the original target customer i.e. first time aspirants for a car. The reason behind this, Tata dealers claimed, was the booking amount, which was 95 percent of the car‘s ex showroom price. Experts wondered how when the target market was the first time car buyer, they could be expected to deposit Rs. 90, 000 while migrating from Rs.40, 000 bikes?xxi Industry observers felt that this flaw in basic assumption had led to booking cancellations amounting to more than 50 percent of the original short-listed applicants over June-August 2009.xxii

THE DOWNFALL SAGA

The major problem was yet to come with the sales of Tata Motors‘ much-publicized People‘s Car witnessing a sequential fall in 2010. In July 2010, Tata Motors sold 9,000 units of the Nano. This fell to 8,103 units in August, 5,520 units in September, and to 3,065 units in October (Refer to Exhibit 3). In November 2010, a festival month during which it is considered auspicious to buy new and big ticket items, the sale of Nano came down to just 509 units (85% drop from November2009).xxiii This was despite the fact that the overall sales for the Indian auto sector rose by 45% inOctober 2010. This resulted in the Tata Motor‘s overall domestic sales in the passenger vehicle segment falling by 25% to 15,340 units from 20,706 units in the same month of 2009. Even cars in the high-end segment such as the Mercedes sold more than 500 units in the festive month.xxiv

Analysts cited various reasons for the Nano‘s poor showing. Issues like production delays, multiple fire incidents across India, increasing prices of the car, difficulty in getting loans from banks, and the stigma attached to buying a ‗cheap‘ car etc. were cited as potential reasons.xxv But some analysts felt that the problem had started with the launch itself. It was the great hype which had created the bumpy road ahead, they said. The early hype predictably fueled early demand. On the other hand, large initial demand required the company to build the car on a large scale. This proved problematic when the company ran into the land acquisition row at Singur which resulted in production delay.xxvi

Right from the launch of the car, there were various cases reported of the Nano catching fire. The number of such incidents had risen to six by August 2010. Experts blamed it on a faulty cabling system which resulted in short circuit and smoke.xxvii The sixth incident of the Nano catching fire was reported in the national capital New

Delhi, just three months after a company probe declared that the car was absolutely safe. The five previous incidents were reported from across the country— from Mumbai, Lucknow, Delhi, and Vadodara.xxviii

Moreover, the customers also found that the car was not really selling for Rs.100,000 as it was positioned. In fact, a fully equipped Nano sold for only about US$800 less than the Maruti-Suzuki Alto, which had a bigger engine, more storage space, and a longer track record than the Nano.xxix Moreover, in 2010 itself, the company first increased the price of the car by Rs. 5000 due to BS IV emission norms and after a few months, by Rs. 30,000 due to increased input costs.xxx Industry observers said that the cheap car was no longer cheap and its safety too had come into question. Though billed as people‘s car meant for the low-income segment, people from this segment were not buying it.xxxi

4

Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintain the Momentum?Besides the fire incidents and rising prices, the lack of financing options available to Nano customers was also causing a dip in sales, analysts said. Banks were not willing to lend to low- income customers as they were concerned that they might default on their payments. As per the statistics, nine out of ten buyers of the Nano applied for a loan. Also, the rate of interest which banks were charging for the Nano was around 20-22% as compared to 13-14% for other cars.xxxii Another issue was the label of ‗the cheapest car‘ on the Nano. A car, in India, was not a―consumable FMCG product‖ but an ―asset‖ and like all assets, a car was supposed to be a―valuable‖ and ―long lasting‖ product which would give maximum returns in the long run. The Tata Nano was targeted at the mass and middle class India as a replacement for two wheelers. Actually, for them, a car was an ―investment‖ of their ―hard earned money‖. Dheeraj Sinha, the Chief Strategy Officer, Bates 1416 and author of Consumer India: Inside the Indian Mind and Wallet, said, ―One reason Tata Nano has not taken off is because it was seen as a cheap car. That‘s a symbol enough to say that even that mass segment of buyers is seeking a premium, in the sense that they are seeking an upgrade and not value for money. Value has to fall into place but it is one of the drivers, not the only driver. Brands, in the rural space, need to add a bit of imagery to themselves. Those consumers are reaching out to brands that are giving them that sense of premium.‖xxxiii

By the end of 2010, the Nano was being billed largely as a failure. According to Matthew C. Keegan, who writes extensively on the Auto industry, ―Long term, the Tata Nano may only prove to be a steppingstone for the Indian automaker as it develops a newer, safer, and more modern entry-level vehicle. The Indian consumer is enjoying a higher standard of living which means their options are expanding beyond cars that are ultra-cheap, of questionable reliability, and perhaps not that safe.‖xxxiv

REVIVING THE NANO

The sequential downfall of the Nano‘s sales figure compelled Tata Motors to rethink and revisit its strategies. A eight- to ten-member crack team was put in place by Ratan Tata to address the situation. xxxv The team took various steps.

ADDRESSING SAFETY ISSUES

As the major threat to the car‘s image was the fire incidents, engineers at Tata Motors made some changes in the Nano‘s existing design. It was necessary to provide additional protection in the exhaust system and in the electrical system. Therefore, additional foreign electrical equipment was installed or foreign material left on the exhaust system. Tata Motors chief executive Carl-Peter Forster said in November 2010 that the carmaker planned to install a cover on the catalytic converter and fuses for electrical components to avoid short circuits in new models.xxxvi ―These new features will be affixed in new models and also the existing buyers have an option to install the same in its cars by not paying a single penny for it,‖ xxxvii Tata Motors declared on November 9,

2010. Providing this enhanced design, the company reiterated that the robust design and state-of- the-art components of the Tata Nano provided assured reliability, durability, and safety.xxxviii

The company also announced that the Tata Nano would have a four-year or 60,000 Km (whichever came first) company‘s warranty without any extra cost. This scheme was also extended to Nanos that had already been sold. Other than the warranty, the new owners were given the option of enjoying a comprehensive maintenance contract at the rate of Rs. 99 per month. According to the company, because of this agreement, the owners would have the opportunity to save a lot on maintenance costs.7

6 Bates 141 is an Asia-devoted marketing communications n etwork and part of WPP Group . 7 ―Loan on Tata Nano up to 90 Per Cent in 48 hours Announced by Tata Motors Finance‖

http :// www . cardekho . com , D ecember 15, 2010

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Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintain the Momentum?

FINANCINGTata M otors Finance (TMF), the Tata Motors vehicle Finance Branch, announced a special finance scheme for the Tata Nano, in which a buyer could get an easy loan with selected documents in just48 hours.xxxix This meant that the entire process of buying the Nano could be completed in less than72 hours or three days. The fast track loan would finance up to 90% of the Tata Nano‘s on-road price and the loan on offer at competitive interest rates could help buyers from its real target market realize their dreams of owing a car.xl In addition to this, the company also entered into financing arrangements with about 29 public sector banks, private banks, non-banking finance companies, and cooperative banks, and its teams worked closely with financiers at the regional, state, and branch levels. Tata Motors also organized ‗Mega loan cum exchange‘ events for existing two-wheeler owners. ―Over one million 2-wheelers are sold in the country every month. We expect bike buyers to account for a rise in Nano sales,‖xli said Ramakrishnan.

DISTRIBUTION REFORMS

It was then the turn of distribution reforms. Beginning July 2009 when dispatches to those who had booked the car started, the company had delivered over 71,000 Tata Nanos by November,2010.xlii Further, as the company‘s new plant at Sanand in Gujarat became operational, thecompany added 10 more states to open fresh bookings in November 2010 and planned to go to open sales by March 2011 backed by increased promotional efforts and additional tie-ups with 29 finance institutions to facilitate fast-track loans to borrowers.xliii The Nano was made available through Tata‘s 874 outlets across the country. The company established 2010 ‗F Class showrooms‘ in smaller towns and recruited 1,200 people to man them. These showrooms were about 500 sq ft in size -- less intimidating than the 3,000-4,000 sq ft conventional showrooms -- and stocked only one car. Tata Motors used an innovative way to make the Nano available in supermarkets by selling it through selected Big Bazaar8 outlets. Big Bazaar, a hypermarket chain, got 150 million footfalls every year. It had 70 outlets in smaller cities and towns. Big Bazaar was able to sell 900Nanos in February-April 2011.xliv ―Tata Motors‘ focus on tier-II cities is a correct strategy sincethese are natural markets for the Nano…,‖xlv said Abheek Singhi, partner and director of TheBoston Consulting Group9.

MARKETING COMMUNICATION

Last, Tata Motors‘ initiatives to spruce up the Nano‘s sales volumes were not just limited to the finance fronts, distribution, and providing additional protection in exhaust and electrical systems in view of some fire incidents. The company also

worked very hard on the marketing communication and promotional fronts.xlvi According to industry experts, better communication by Tata Motors had helped it in posting better sales in December 2010. It was expected that Tata Nano sales would observe an upsurge in 2011. The company also took steps such as having senior executives visit the showrooms, boosting confidence, staff training, and much more. The dealers were asked to educate the buyers about the car‘s added safety features and new standards.xlvii

The Tata Nano, which till then was only being promoted through the print media and road shows, was also promoted through TV commercials.xlviii The campaign sought to address the safety issues and the aspiration of owning a car. The ads were targeted at improving the Tata Nano sales in the market. The first ad launched on December 17, 2010, stressed key attributes such as speed, space,

8 Big Bazaar is a chain of shopping malls in India. As of 2011, there were 150 Big Bazaar stores across 80 cities and towns in India. Big Bazaar was designed as an agglomeration of bazaars or Indian markets with clusters offering a wide range of merchandise including fashion and apparels, food products, general merchandise, furniture, electronics, books, fast food, and leisure and entertainment sections. Big Bazaar is part of Future Group , w hich also owns the Central Hypermarket , a nd is owned through a wholly- owned subsidiary of Pantaloon Retail India L imited.

9 The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm with offices in 42 countries.

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Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintain the Momentum?and sturdiness. It also sought to project the sentiments of anticipation and joy surrounding the arrival of the Nano into a family. This was followed by a series of ads in 2011 targeted at scooter owners which sought to convey the advantages of owning a car, such as privacy, intimacy, enjoyment, and convenience. According to the company, the brief provided to the ad agency was to speak the language of the consumers, while highlighting the Nano‘s features including space, maneuverability, performance, mileage, safety, and durability. In addition to TV, the campaign utilized the print media and the radio. The Nano was also promoted in the social media with a Facebook page called Nano Diaries. According to Shweta Khosla, planning director, Grey10, ―The Nano was supposed to make a car affordable to the poor man and therefore, an owner would be labeled a poor man, right? Would it ever be aspirational to middle class India, then? The communication turned all the questions and doubts on their heads. The ads unlock emotions which are desired but not experienced; the people could be you or me.‖xlix

A SPECTACULAR COMEBACK

Tata Motors‘ efforts bore fruit with the sales figure showing signs of a revival after reaching its lowest level in November 2010. Backed by the television advertisements, provision of additional protection in the exhaust system, extended warranty schemes, incremental rise in sales point in smaller towns, and the introduction of the 90% financing plan through its in-house vehicle financing unit, TMF, this became possible.l Sales of the Tata Nano went up dramatically to 5,784 in December compared to 509 units in November 2010. Industry analysts like Abdul Majeed, Auto Practice Leader in PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)11, said the various strategies coupled with attractive and effective marketing communication had helped revive the Tata Nano. ―Effective communication has helped the company post better wholesale and retail sales in December 2010. We will see the sales numbers rising in the next few months,‖ li said Abdul Majeed.

Not only this, it caused a lot of excitement when Nano sales recorded 10,012 numbers in April2011. This was 184% higher than the 3525 units sold in the same month of 2010.lii For the first time since it was launched, the Nano ranked 6th both in the month of April and year-to-date with33,684 sales.liii Some industry observers said that the increase in sales was due to Tata Motors‘'pushing' sales by incentivizing dealers. But the company denied this.

According to Ramakrishnan, about 50 percent of the new bookings were first time purchasers of a car, as against just 20 percent when the car was initially launched. He said that the company was looking at increasing the share to 80 percent first time buyers as originally envisioned.liv The world had already acknowledged the Tata Nano as the cheapest car on earth as it had made it to the Guinness Book of World Records 2009. The 54th edition of the record book, which was launched at London‘s Trafalgar Square, listed the Nano as the world‘s cheapest car.lv

THE ROAD AHEAD

Analysts noted that the Tata Nano had shown upward growth since the setback in November 2010. Encouraged by the positive public response, Tata Motors was thinking of increasing the production capacity for the Tata Nano . T he existing capacity of 10,000 units each month in the Sanand plant was planned to be increased to its full capacity of 275,000 cars per year. Many bikers were also warming up to the prospect of owning a new Tata Nano for the price of an expensive bike.lvi Since August 2010, Tata Motors had started the open sale (without any pre-registration) of the Tata Nano and by December 2010, it was being sold in 12 states. The sale of the Tata Nano had since then

10 Grey (India) is the Advertising and Brand Consulting Company having head-office in Mumbai.11 PwC (officially PricewaterhouseCoopers) is a global professional services f irm

headquartered in London , United Kingdom . I t is the world's second-largest professional services firm (after Deloitte ) and one of the " Big Four " accountancy firms.

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Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintain the Momentum?picked up in five states and the company was also trying hard to reach out to its target customers in other states through its outlets and other access points. Tata Motors was planning on coming out with Big Bazaar like Special Nano Access points so that potential customers could test-drive the Tata Nano. Tata Motors was planning to capture each and every nook and corner of the Indian auto market with open sales by the first quarter of 2011.lvii

Meanwhile, Tata Motor was also gearing up to launch the Nano in Western markets. Sale of the‗Tata Nano Europa‘ was expected to start in the European market in 2011. Tata Motors was also planning to launch the Nano in the US in the future. In India too, new Nano models were to belaunched with new features. The Diesel variant of the Nano was expected to enter the Indianautomobile market soon. Tata Motors was also planning to launch the eco-friendly hybrid Nano in the future.lviii

While industry observers noted that the team at Tata Motors had succeeded in orchestrating a spectacular revival for the Nano, they felt that Nano sales would stabilize at around 8,000 units per month. This, they felt, would not be sufficient for the company to make a profit. Mahantesh Sabarad, analyst at Fortune Financials12, said, ―The company would have to up the run-rate to15,000 Nanos a month to achieve break-even…. As sales grow, the marketing expenses are also growing. So, the rising sales are not yet providing a margin uptick.‖lix They noted that while the Nano had registered its best sales ever in April 2010, the automotive industry in April had grown only 13%, after a 30% growth recorded in financial year 2011. With competition intensifying in the market, analysts felt that players such as Maruti Suzuki were in a better position to reach Indian car buyers and as such, it would be a long, hard road ahead for the Nano.lx They felt that the company needed to be cautious about the price, as it was one of the most important factors with the Tata Nano. ―The company needs to be cautious on the pricing front as any increase in the price will reduce the gap between the nearest competitors, forcing the customers to make a switch,‖lxi said Majeed. The base model of the Nano was launched at Rs. 100,000 (Ex-Showroom Price) which later went up to Rs. 140,880 (Ex-Showroom Price in Delhi). The new variants, which were in queue for a launch, would be even more expensive. Thus, it was gradually slipping out of the reach of its target customers who rode on two-wheelers and dreamed of owning the ‗People‘s Car‘. In the near future it would be interesting to see how the rising prices of the Tata Nano would affect its positioning as ‗the car for the masses‘.

12 Fortune Financials is a financial advisory company.

8

Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintain the Momentum?Exhibit

I

Profit and Loss Account of Tata Motors (In Rs. Millions)

Mar ' 11 Mar ' 10 Mar ' 09 Mar ' 08 Mar ' 07

Income

Operating income 480253.4 353732.9 256606.7 287679.1 266642.5

Expenses

Material consumed 346928.3 247594.9 190394.1 209318.1 195298.8

Manufacturing expenses 21473.5 16522.2 11715.9 12301.4 12003.6

Personnel expenses 22940.2 18361.3 15513.9 15445.7 13678.3

Selling expenses - 15832.4 12241.5 11794.8 10685.6

Adminstrative expenses 41198.3 22499.2 18670.5 19827.9 14881.6

Expenses capitalised - -7405.4 -9160.2 -11314.0 -5770.5

Cost of sales 432540.3 313404.6 239375.7 257373.9 240777.4

Operating profit 47713.1 40328.3 17231.0 30305.2 25865.1

Other recurring income 1832.6 4022.7 8415.4 3594.2 8872.3

Adjusted PBDIT 49545.7 44351.0 25646.4 33899.4 34737.4

Financial expenses 11439.9 12462.5 7049.2 4715.6 4557.5

Depreciation 13607.7 10338.7 8745.4 6523.1 5862.9

Other write offs 1061.7 1440.3 511.7 643.5 850.2

Adjusted PBT 23436.4 20109.5 9340.1 22017.2 23466.8

Tax charges 3847.0 5894.6 125.0 5475.5 6603.7

Adjusted PAT 19589.4 14214.9 9215.1 16541.7 16863.1

Nonrecurring items -1471.2 8185.9 797.5 3747.5 2271.5

Other non cash adjustments - - 152.9 - -00.7

Reported net profit 18118.2 22400.8 10165.5 20289.2 19133.9

Earnigs before appropriation 37459.5 39260.7 23996.2 30427.5 26901.5

Equity dividend 12742.3 8590.5 3116.1 5784.3 5780.7

Preference dividend - - - - -

Dividend tax 1928.0 1328.9 340.9 812.5 982.5

Retained earnings 22789.2 29341.3 20539.2 23830.7 20138.3

Source: Rediffmoney.com

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Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintain the Momentum?

Exhibit II

A List of Some Awards and Achievements for Tata Nano

2009 Listed in Guinness Book of World Records as the world‘s

cheapest car 2010 Business Standard Motoring Indian car of the

year

2010 Bloomberg UTV-Autocar car of the year

2010 Edison Awards, first place in the transportation category

2010 Good Design Awards , in the category of transportation

*The list is not

exhaustive. Compiled

from various sources

Exhibit III

Sales Figure of Tata Nano (in Units)

Source - http :// bestsellingcarsblog . com /2011/05/04/ india - april -2011- tata - nano - over - 10000- sales - for - the - first - time /# more -5544, http :// www . cardekho . com /, http :// www . siamindia . com /, http :// www . team - bhp . com /

10

Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintain the Momentum?

Exhibit IV

Source: “Indian Car Firm Tata Offers Nano Safety Upgrades,” www . bbc . co . uk , April 15, 2011

Exhibit V

Indian Emission Standards (Four-Wheel Vehicles)

Standard Reference Year Region

India 2000 Euro 1

2000 Nationwide

Bharat Stage II Euro 2

2001NCR*, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai

2003 NCR*, 12 Cities†

2005 Nationwide

Bharat Stage III Euro 3

2005 NCR*, 12 Cities†

2010 Nationwide

Bharat Stage IV Euro 4

2010 NCR*, 12 Cities†

* National Capital Region (Delhi)

† Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai,

Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat, Kanpur, Lucknow, Sholapur, and Agra

Source: http :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Bharat _ Stage _ emission _ standards

11

End Notes: Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintain the Momentum?

i Lijee Philip & Kala Vijayraghavan, ―Smart Selling Helps Tata Nano Sales Drive Past 10k Units Mark

in April,‖ The Economic Times, May 10, 2011

ii ―Tata Motors Seeking for Nano‘s Fresh Capacity,‖ www . vicky . in , April 11, 2011

iii ―About Us,‖ www . tata . com June 3, 2011

iv http :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Tata _ Group , June 3, 2011

v Satish Virivinty, ―Ratan Tata Not on Forbes Magazines Billionaires List: A Reason Behind,‖

www . currentweek . ne t, June 3, 2011

vi ―About Us,‖ www . tata . com , June 3, 2011

vii ―U.S. and Indian Philanthropists Recognized for Conviction, Courage and Sustained Efforts,‖

www . carnegiemedals . org , May 4, 2008

viii ―Company Profile,‖ www . tatamotors . com , June 3, 2011

ix Cynthia Rodriguez, ―Tata Group / Tata Motors / Driving the Dream,‖ http :// web . archive . org , , October

11, 2010

x ―Company Profile,‖ www . tatamotors . com , June 3, 2011

xi ―India‘s Top 10 Brands,‖ http :// business . rediff . com , October 26, 2010

xii ―End of the Road?‖ www . team - bhp . com , December 1, 2010

xiii Ibid.

xiv ―Tata Nano: The People‘s Car from Tata Motors‖, http :// tatanano . inservices . tatamotors . com , April 15,

2011

xv Ibid.

xvi ―End of the Road?‖ www . team - bhp . com , December 1, 2010

xvii www . team - bhp . com / forum / indian - car - scene /92985- tata - nano - november - sales -506- analysing - root - cause-devising-solutions.html, April 15, 2011

xviiiIbid.

xix Ashish Kumar Mishra, ―Saving Tata Nano,‖ http :// business . in . com , January 4, 2011

xx http :// www . team - bhp . com / forum / indian - car - scene /92985- tata - nano - november - sales -506- analysing - root-cause-devising-solutions.html, April 15, 2011

xxi Ibid.

xxii Ashish Kumar Mishra, ―Saving Tata Nano,‖ http :// business . in . com , January 4, 2011

xxiii―Buyers Put Brakes on World'‘s Cheapest Car Nano,‖ www . business - standard . com , December 3, 2010

xxiv―Tata Nano Car Sales Sink by 85%,‖ www . bbc . co . uk , December 1, 2010

xxv Kumar Pankaj, ―Tata Nano - What Went Wrong?‖

http :// ezinearticles . com , December 13, 2010 xxvi Matt Eyring ,

―Learning from Tata‘s Nano Mistakes,‖ http :// blogs . hbr . org , January 11,

2011 xxvii Kumar Pankaj, ―Tata Nano - What Went Wrong?‖

http :// ezinearticles . com , April 15, 2011

xxviii ―Tata Nano‘s Nov Sales One-sixth of Oct Figures,‖ http :// articles . economictimes . indiatimes . com , April 15, 2011

xxixMatt Eyring , ―Learning from Tata‘s Nano Mistakes,‖ http :// blogs . hbr . org , January 11, 2011

xxx Kumar Pankaj, ―Tata Nano - What Went Wrong?‖ http :// ezinearticles . com , April 15, 2011

xxxiMatt Eyring , ―Learning from Tata‘s Nano Mistakes,‖ http :// blogs . hbr . org , January 11, 2011

xxxii Kumar Pankaj, ―Tata Nano - What Went Wrong?‖ http :// ezinearticles . com , April 15, 2011

xxxiii Gokul Krishnamurthy, ―Not All Brands Need to Look Young,‖ www . thehindubusinessline . com , June

7, 2011

12

Revival of Tata Nano: Can the World’s Cheapest Car Maintain the Momentum?

xxxiv Matthew Keegan, ―Tata Nano Fails to Meet Expectations,‖

http :// ezinearticles . com , April 15, 2011 xxxv Suresh Nandi, ―A Big U Turn by

the Small Car, Tata Nano,‖ www . deccanherald . com , May 21, 2011 xxxvi

―Indian Car Firm Tata offers Nano Safety Upgrades ,‖ www . bbc . co . uk , November

10, 2010

xxxvii ―Loan on Tata Nano up to 90 Per Cent in 48 hours Announced by Tata Motors Finance‖

www . cardekho . com , December 15, 2010

xxxviii ―Tata Motors Finance Offers Quick Loan for Nano‖, http :// www . business - standard . com , December

15, 2010

xxxix ―Loan on Tata Nano up to 90 Per Cent in 48 hours Announced by Tata Motors Finance‖

http :// www . cardekho . com , December 15, 2010

xl ―Tata Nano Comeback Story: Nano Approval Time for Tata Nano Loans‖,http :// www . indiancarsbikes . in , April 15, 2011

xli Suresh Nandi, ―A Big U Turn by the Small Car, Tata Nano,‖ www . deccanherald . com , May 21, 2011

xlii ―Tata Motors Finance Offers Quick Loan for Nano,‖ www . business - standard . com , December 15, 2010

xliii ―Nano Makes a Comeback…And How?‖ http :// trak . in , April 15, 2011

xliv ―After Tata Nano, More Cars Headed to Big Bazaar,‖ http :// indianautosblog . com , April 15, 2011

xlv Lijee Philip & Kala Vijayraghavan, ―Smart Selling Helps Tata Nano Sales Drive Past 10k Units Mark

in April,‖ The Economic Times, May 10, 2011

xlvi ―Nano Makes a Comeback…And How?‖ http :// trak . in , April 15, 2011

xlvii―Tata Nano Sales to Touch 5000 Units This Month,‖ http :// www . cardekho . com , April 15, 2011

xlviii Rajni Sharma, ―Tata Nano New Ad Campaign in TV also to Boost Sales,‖ www . infosera . com , October

17, 2010

xlix Ashwini Gangal, ―Tata Nano: Bring Home Happiness,‖ www . afaqs . com , January 14, 2011

l ―Nano Makes a Comeback…And How?‖ http :// trak . in , April 15, 2011

li ―Tata Nano Bucked the Trend, Registers Ten Fold Sales Growth in December 2010,‖

http :// www . wheelosphere . org , December 31, 2010

lii ―Tata Nano Sales Discussion for April 2011,‖ www . rushlane . com , May 2, 2011

liii ―India April 2011: Tata Nano over 10,000 Sales for the First Time‖, http :// bestsellingcarsblog . com , June 3, 2011

liv ―Tata Motors Seeking for Nano‘s Fresh Capacity,‖ www . vicky . in , April 11, 2011

lv ―Tata Nano – Unknown facts,‖ http :// www . mohanbn . com , April 15, 2011

lvi Lijo Mathai, ―Tata Nano Sales Pickup,‖ www . indiandrives . com , April 15, 2011

lvii ―Loan on Tata Nano up to 90 Per Cent in 48 hours Announced by Tata Motors Finance,‖

www . cardekho . com , December 15, 2010

lviii www . tatanano . org , June 8, 2011

lix Lijee Philip & Kala Vijayraghavan, ―Smart Selling Helps Tata Nano Sales Drive Past 10k Units Mark

in April,‖ The Economic Times, May 10, 2011

lx Matthew Keegan, ―Tata Nano Fails to Meet Expectations,‖ http :// ezinearticles . com , April 15, 2011

lxi ―Tata Nano Bucked the Trend, Registers Ten Fold Sales Growth in December 2010,‖

www . wheelosphere . org , December 31, 2010

13