The next people's car

Citation

Meredith, R. (2007), "The next people's car", Strategic Direction, Vol. 23 No. 9. https://doi.org/10.1108/sd.2007.05623iad.009

The next people's car

The next people’s car

Meredith R. Forbes, 16 April 2007, Vol. 179 No. 8, Start page: 70, No. of pages: 4

Purpose – To spotlight Tata Motor’s “people’s car” – the cheapest Indian car ever manufactured. Design/methodology/approach – Reports on how Tata Motors, in India, is planning to manufacture one of the cheapest cars ever made; suggests that it could see the company becoming one of the most important automakers in the world, put India on the map as a global hub for small car production and enable millions of people who were previously priced out of the market to buy cars. Identifies the reasons for Tata Motors diversification from trucks and buses to car production; looks at the restructuring exercise undertaken at the company and examines how the company managed to turn a loss in 2000 into a profit by 2003. Describes how Tata Motors trains their employees in Japanese manufacturing techniques; outlines their consumer marketing exercise that discovered the reasons why Indian men prize four wheels so highly; puts forward how Tata Motors set about constructing a four wheel car that would cost as little as two wheels; refers to how Tata is targeting other emerging economies. Originality/value – Outlines the thinking behind the production of Tata Motor’s cheap little car.ISSN: 0015-6914Reference: 36AL559

Keywords: Automotive industry, Cars, Corporate strategy, India, Innovation, Organizational change, Prices, Products