To say that Ratan Naval Tata was a stalwart of the Indian automotive and manufacturing industry will be an understatement. An industrialist of immense magnitude, a towering personality and a keen business acumen coupled with an undying love for philanthropy and social responsibility, Mr. Tata wore many hats with aplomb. It was during his near two-decade tenure as the chairman of Tata Group, not only Mr. Tata reshaped and led the group through a resurgence, but also paved the way for the Indian automotive industry by executing extraordinary ideas and concepts, displaying sharp foresight and the will to go beyond the normal.
1998: Introduction of Tata Indica
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It was at the 1998 Auto Expo that the Tata Indica made its debut. It was the first indigenously developed car (four-wheeler), which was an idea that Mr. Tata held close to him. A car that was made for Indians, made by Indians and made in India. The Tata Indica was a car that revived the Tata Motors brand and moved away from big cars (407, Sierra, Sumo, Estate, Safari) to small, affordable cars. Despite a few niggles, the Tata Indica did well for the company, with its unique design, practicality, space and aggressive pricing.
2008: Acquiring Jaguar Land Rover from Ford Motor Company
On June 2, 2008, Tata Motors made a 100 per cent acquisition of the iconic British automotive marque from Ford Motor Company for $2.3 billion (Rs. 9,200 crore) in an all-cash transaction. It was viewed as one of the boldest moves in the Indian automotive industry and was met with scepticism with Tata Motors going into debt and the global economic recession hitting all businesses hard. But eventually it did cement Tata Motors' status as not only a global automaker, who managed to turn JLR into a profitable business but also incorporate learnings from the British brand into its own cars.
2008: Tata Nano - The 'one lakh' car
Mr. Tata envisioned that all Indians should have access to a car that they can own without a massive financial burden and graduate to, from a scooter or a motorcycle. And that led to the creation of Tata Nano, India's first car with a price tag of Rs. 1 lakh. The Tata Nano was a small petrol car, with 2-cylinder 624 cc engine, making 37 hp and 51 Nm. While the price tag remained Rs. 1 lakh only for a brief period of time and the Tata Nano did not fire the way Tata Motors imagined, it definitely made for solid learnings for the brand, going forward.
These are just some of the achievements in the illustrious career of Mr. Ratan Tata. Others being the acquisition of Tetley Tea in 2000 and Corus Group in 2007, with the latter being one of the biggest acquisitions by an Indian company. The Corus Group was acquired by Tata Steel for a massive sum of $12 billion.
Mr. Ratan Tata's legacy will remain unparalleled in the Indian automotive and manufacturing industry.