CARMAKERS TURN TO DESIGN FOR MARKET SHARE
The EVision concept, unveiled by Tata Motors at the recently concluded Geneva International Motor Show, was testimony to the changing design language of the company in particular and the automobile industry in general.
Carmakers have always used design to create brand differentiation, but its importance has gone up several notches in the last few years. Thanks to the influence of social media, crowded automobile market and growing buyer aspiration, designers are striving to marry form with function with an eye on disruptive trends that are likely to manifest in platforms over the next decade and a half.
Pratap Bose, head of design at Tata Motors, along with a 180-people strong team spread across Turin, Coventry and Pune, is leading a design renaissance at the firm. “You have to gain mind share first, only then can you gain market share,” says Bose.
Pawan Goenka, managing director, Mahindra and Mahindra, agrees. “The first moment of truth is design. When you look at a car and if the design does not compel you to come closer, for the second moment of truth you have lost the battle,” he says. Even a ~400,000 car will not be sold simply because “it is cheap”, it has to appeal as well. “The car is a statement of your personality,” he adds.
Maruti Suzuki India, which has successfully decoded the small car buyer’s psyche, has also boarded the design bandwagon. At the Auto Expo in the Capital last month, Maruti showcased the Concept Future S, a compact vehicle with an SUV stance that Maruti claims has the potential to redefine the design of next generation compact vehicles. The importance of design as a selection criterion is significant, says Y K Koo, managing director and chief executive officer of Hyundai Motor India. “More than 50 per cent weight is given to design. A buyer looks at price, features, mileage and technology only after he likes the design,” adds Koo.
But perhaps no one can vouch for this better than Bose. After being in the slow lane for several years, Tata Motors is hitching a ride back in India's competitive passenger vehicle market largely through differentiated design language. The company’s sales increased 20 per cent to 187,230 vehicles in the 11 months to February 2018, compared to a year ago, while its market share rose to 6.27 per cent from 5.62 per cent.
Emboldened, the maker of the Nexon and the Tiago has crafted a completely new design language. The EVision electric sedan showcased in Geneva was a follow-up to the exercise that begun at the New Delhi Auto expo last month when the company showcased two new concepts, H5X and 45X, based on the OMEGA Arc and ALFA Arc platforms, respectively. The platforms will form the basis of all new SUVs and hatchbacks of the company in the coming years.
“It sent out a message that Tata Motors exists,” says Bose. When the team got on to develop the next generation platform with a new powertrain, it needed a design language to say that everything was new.
“It is about the future. These are our platforms for the next 10 to 15 years. We needed the design language to be sharper, fresher and a lot bolder. We have created certain expectations with level one, but we can’t stay there. We have to take it to the next level,” he adds.
“A very clear design form is emerging at the firm. It was there earlier, but this is more global,” says Avik Chattopadhyay, cofounder at a Gurugram-based brand consulting firm.