Tata Motors Was on a 'Creative Break' Says New MD, CEO Guenter Butschek

Tata Motors is all set to bring its first car for this year - Tiago, at the end of FY 15-16 fiscal which will be launched on the 28th of this month. But that's not the only good news coming from the Tata stable. The company in fact has someone new at the helm of affairs and though he's not been in India for long he's been in the industry for a long time. Guenter Butschek, MD, CEO, Tata Motors is all set to take things to a whole new level and talked about how Tata remains committed to the people and community. Speaking about the company he said, "Tata Motors has such a huge pool of talent and there are such brilliant people working in all its departments and we have been using it to our benefit but now we'll be more effective than ever."

Also Read: Tata Tiago Arrives at Dealerships Ahead of Launch on March 28

It's not the first time we've heard about transformation from the company and the 2013 campaign of HorizonNext is a strong example. With this campaign, Tata Motors was looking to revolutionise the way people looked at the company and a different approach in terms of design, technology and of course products was underway. Thanks to this approach, we saw cars like the Zest and Bolt and now the Tiago, but considering how many management changes Tata Motors has undergone, what does Butschek bring to the table. "HorizonNext is a great concept and we won't move away from it. We are taking it to the next level and that means bringing in more organisational efficiency and bringing in technology that will make our products stand out amongst competitors. We also want things to be simpler, faster and more flexible, so that we can adapt to the changing needs of the consumer."

This means that Tata Motors is thinking of bringing out more products that will share platforms and components thus reducing time, effort and a lot of money. After the Tiago, Tata Motors plans to launch the Hexa and the Nexon which will help it in keeping true to its commitment of bringing out two new products every year. There are more products in the pipeline but what Butschek wants to do is enter new segments and create a niche. Now, it's not that Tata Motors hadn't done it. Remember the Calypso MPV (which never saw the light of production) or the fact that they were the first to enter the sub-compact sedan segment and couldn't capitalise on the big lead it had.

But there is need of transformation, and Butschek says the company has what it takes. "We have world class manufacturing facilities and though quality is an area where we can improve, there is no denying that our products are ready for the global market." He says this because he has been visiting the company's plants across the country and has come to the conclusion that the automobile giant needs to be refined and rejigged. He went on to say that Tata Motors, which is already exporting Commercial and Passenger vehicles, will look to expand its export markets and Latin America is on its radar.

As far as competition is concerned, Tata Motors has not really brought out products that will take them head on but Butschek says that "You cannot prevent competition; in fact it is good otherwise you will not innovate as a company. But what we(Tata Motors) need is out-of-the-box solutions which will really grab our customers and our competitors attention." This statement does hint at Tata Motors looking at alternate fuels as an option and probably technology that leans towards an autonomous car.

So there's a lot more coming and the future looks promising but Tata Motors cannot hide from the past but the new MD, CEO explains it as "Tata Motors was on a 'creative' break but we are all set to make heads turn, yet again" We wait to see what the company has in store.