For over 76 years, Tata Motors has been at the forefront of building the nation.

Rajesh Kaul, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Commercial Vehicle Business, Tata Motors

How do you see the government’s ‘Make in India’ programme and mission motivating industry to participate in it? How is this helping the construction equipment sector to improve its technological status and competitivenaess in the global market?
The Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative can help foster a favourable environment for the development of advanced manufacturing facilities, adoption of cutting-edge technologies and increased access to skilled labour. At Tata Motors, we strongly believe that the ‘Make in India’ initiative has played a crucial role in motivating the industry to participate in the country’s economic growth. The Government’s efforts to simplify business processes and provide a supportive environment for manufacturing have helped us to improve our efficiency, productivity and competitiveness.
For over 76 years, Tata Motors has been at the forefront of building the nation, enabling growth in the e-commerce, FMCG, FMCD, construction, mining, steel and cement, logistics, construction, infrastructure and mining sector, among others. We have five state-of-the-art commercial vehicle manufacturing facilities present in Dharwad, Jamshedpur, Lucknow, Pantnagar and Pune, which created substantial employment opportunities in the country. Tata Motors has the widest product portfolio which is developed with superior technology and boosts performance while ensuring utmost safety, which are further strengthened by innovative value-added services through the vehicle lifecycle.

Foreseeing the government’s strong commitment and stable sentiments in the market, how do you evaluate your company’s growth in the coming years?
As the industry enters the second phase of the BS6 chapter, Tata Motors has gone beyond the regulatory compliance of BS6 Phase II, to further improve its product performance on attributes like TCO, comfort, convenience and connectivity. Our commercial vehicle range of BS6 Phase II now delivers even better performance, enabled by smarter technologies and enhanced features. Our portfolio of BS6 phase II vehicles comes with significantly improved fuel economy, performance & drivability, enhanced driver comfort & visibility enhanced service intervals and fluid replacement frequency by as much as 25-100%. With the 4G-enabled connectivity and firmware over the air (FOTA) capability, we have brought seamless upgrade capability, taking connectivity to the next level.
The CV industry is transforming at an unprecedented pace. The future of mobility is being shaped by ACES (Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared) megatrends as well as sustainability and digitalisation. Globally, the industry is witnessing greater penetration of alternate fuels, digital and connected features. In India, connected features are increasingly becoming important as they provide increased efficiency and convenience to customers. Tata Motors continues to offer the latest technology roadmap to address key emerging trends and integrate the most relevant and suitable tech elements into our product and service offerings. We have embarked on our sustainability journey under three pillars: viz. net-zero GHG emission by 2045, circularity and preserving biodiversity.
Under the first pillar, we have charted a clear roadmap towards clean and commercially viable mobility solutions. We left a mark at Auto Expo 2023, by showcasing 14 vehicles and concepts, covering all zero-emission propulsion technologies across the portfolio, including Hydrogen ICE, Fuel-Cell-electric, Battery electric and natural gas fuel types. We have also adopted Science Based Targets (SBTi) framework for GHG emissions reduction and are making rapid progress towards renewable energy. Our efforts have been noted, with significant improvement in our ratings by two globally recognised sustainability rating agencies.
On the second pillar of circularity, we have inaugurated the first registered vehicle scrappage facility, branded as Re.Wi.Re, at Jaipur with many more to follow through the franchisee model.

Give us an understanding of your company’s performance in the last 3 years?
The Indian CV industry saw a strong rebound in the last two years after a tough period in FY20 and FY21 that saw industry volumes drop to half of FY19 peak. In FY22 over FY21, Tata Motors’ CV business grew by 33% with the CV industry growing by 27%. This was largely on the back of the superior product performance of the BS6 range, a slew of new launches and unique value-added services.
Tata Motors’ domestic CV business demonstrated impressive resilience and robust growth during the fiscal year 2022-23, with VAHAN registration volumes reaching a noteworthy 3,54,655 units – marking an impressive increase of approximately 30% compared to the previous fiscal. With ~36% growth, FY23 was a promising year of growth after 26% growth of FY22, indicating an upcycle. The exceptional growth was driven by both medium and heavy commercial vehicles (M&HCVs) and passenger transport vehicles. Strong fundamentals, coupled with increased infrastructure projects, road construction, mining activities and healthy replacement demand, were pivotal factors contributing to this growth. The demand for small commercial vehicles (SCVs) deployed for last-mile distribution remained strong, supported by sustained consumer spending. The buses segment experienced a significant rebound in FY23 over FY22, primarily due to the resumption of schools, offices, tours and travel, resulting in a surge in the demand for commuting. Replacement demand from schools and state transport undertakings remained strong, with most of this demand pending for the past 3-4 years.

What is your future strategies at a time when technological disruptions are rapidly defining businesses in the sector?
In the face of technological disruptions, the commercial vehicle industry needs to adopt future agile, innovative and forward-thinking strategies. The CV industry is undergoing a rapid transformation driven by several megatrends such as ACES, digitisation and sustainability. Globally, the sector is seeing an increasing uptake of connected, digital and alternative fuel features. In India, connected features are gaining prominence since they provide the customers and the entire value chain with greater efficiency and convenience. To address important new trends and cutting-edge technology in the products and service offerings, Tata Motors continuously updates its technological roadmap as the economy transitions to a more connected and digital future.
We deeply value our customers’ needs and behaviours and continue to reach them in better and more seamless ways via digital mediums. With more than 380K connected vehicles, ‘Fleet Edge’ has now matured into digital technology platform which offers unique convenience and peace of mind to customers, while providing an opportunity to improve their business.

Hits: 24