Charging ahead

Chandra tells SOHINI DAS why he is determined to focus on net carbon zero rather than lose track to distractions

In the middle of the first Covid-19 lockdown in who had recently taken the reins of the passenger vehicle arm of Tata Motors after finding success with the electric vehicle (EV) business, set out to meet the company's dealers.

"In my first meeting with them, I was literally ragged," remembers Chandra, the managing director of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility. He found that only 30 per cent of the dealerships were making money at that time. "Then why were the remaining 70 per cent sticking around?" he wondered, although he knew the answer. "The fundamentals were right we had a strong network of loyal dealers, customers, and great products," says Chandra.

So, he created a list of 52 issues that plagued the network. Tata Motors dialled up its ad campaign with some cheeky commercials, and in August 2020, increased the price of its models by ₹12,000, passing on the benefit to the dealers who were exempted from participating in consumer schemes.

Soon, dealer incomes went up by almost 50 per cent. Chandra had won one battle.

The next hurdle was to ramp up production and ensure the availability of components. This was right before the semiconductor crisis hit the world. Chandra got the ball rolling with some out-of-the-box ideas. Then he went to the chairman, N Chandrasekaran, with a plan to enhance capacities.

Sitting at the multicuisine restaurant Tiqri at Taj Santacruz, Mumbai, Chandra says handling the EV business gave him the muchneeded agility and a startup to experiment. His office has chosen the venue, an openair restaurant offering an eclectic mix of world cuisines and traditional favourites.

A small eater, Chandra hardly nibbles on the avantgarde take on pani puri that the hostess encourages us to try. I take a bite, and a sip of the tamarind water served in a shot glass.