On A Familiar Terrain

Tata Motors, the maker of India’s first SUVs, is back in the game with its aggressive line-up

- JASODHARA BANERJEE

The 1990s ushered in a new era in India’s passenger car industry. There were just a handful of vehicles to choose from till the 1980s, but a freshly-minted liberalised economy brought winds of change that rapidly took shape in the form of numerous new models and options across new segments.

It was the decade that saw the launch of three cars that would go on to become popular icons. Tata Motors, known as the maker of trucks and heavy vehicles till then, took its first step towards becoming a maker of passenger cars with the launch of the Sierra, an off-road utility vehicle, in 1991. The Sierra was the first car produced in India with electric windows, air-conditioning and adjustable steering wheels; it was also the vehicle that saw the tachometer for the first time, now a ubiquitous feature in cars. The Sierra was followed by the Estate, a station wagon, in 1992, the Sumo in 1994, and the Safari in 1998. All four models were based on the Tata Telcoline, a commercial pick-up launched in 1988. The only other comparable vehicle launched in the 1990s was the Mahindra Classic.

“If you go back to the 1990s, there used to be only two car segments:

Cars with a box and cars without a box. That was such a simple life actually,” remembers Mayank Pareek, president of Tata Motors. “But as the industry matures, segments and sub-segments creep in, catering to the different choices and preferences of customers.”