Indian Automotive Brands On The Rise: Mahindra And Tata Leading The Way

Mahindra & Mahindra

Mahindra for a long time was more famously known for its sturdy SUV developed for Indian terrain but has now managed to ascend to the ranks of a global car maker. By focusing on the newest technologies and daring designs Mahindra became the market leader in SUV, EV, and CV segments.

It has become the talk of the town with its best SUV models such as Mahindra Thar, Scorpio-N, and XUV700 to name a few have set benchmarks for all SUVs across the Indian auto market.

The XUV700 for example has features like advanced safety, luxurious interiors, and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) which was a standard for luxury international brands.

The Thar, on the other hand, has turned into a fashion statement in India. It gives off-road utility with drama along with improved comfort to attract at once, the target adventure enthusiast as well as the metropolitan buyer. Likewise, the transition from Scorpio classic to Scorpio N is one of the examples where Mahindra has transformed a traditional model into a technologically advanced, and loaded car.

Mahindra however is not leaving any brick unturned and has unveiled its BE6E & XEV9E, the Born Electric platform which is set to bring the future of EVs.

In this particular case, Mahindra has struck the right chord by venturing into electric mobility keenly following global trends and expanding goodwill towards a sustainable environment in India.

Currently, Mahindra has been extending its operations on the international market. Its tractors division is the world’s largest by volume, exporting to many countries including those within North America, Africa, and Europe.

The automotive segment, on the other hand, is gradually consolidating its positions in markets such as South Africa, Australia, and some European countries thanks to the many off-road and versatile vehicles.

Tata Motors

The company's performance has improved significantly in the last ten years. Tata Motors was once a company mainly focused on commercial vehicles and has now emerged as a motor vehicle manufacturer with a wide range of passenger products offering best-in-class safety, design, and technology.

It has further expanded through its worldwide acquisition and overhaul of the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) brand and is today a market leader in electric vehicles in India.

Tata’s mid-size passenger cars such as the Nexon, the recently launched Harrier, Safari and the newest entrant the Punch have resonated well with Indian citizens. The Nexon, India’s first 5-star Global NCAP-rated car put affordability of safety features in India on a new pedestal.

The latest car from Tata is the Punch, a small SUV that has also received a lot of admiration due to its design, space, and compliance with safety norms more than fitting for the compact SUV market. While the Harrier and Safari are indeed considered Tata’s luxury cars, they are also fast, powerful and infused with the latest in technology.

Currently, there is huge competition in the electric vehicles market in India, but Tata Motors still holds nearly 80% of the market share in the passenger electric vehicle segment. Tata has a line of new EVs, including the Nexon EV, Tigor EV, Tiago EV, and Punch EV these models made electric mobility affordable and realistic in India.

As Mahindra and Tata Motors are successfully competing with traditional and new entrants, there are pertaining issues including, entry of automobile giants from across the border, high initial investment for EV infrastructure and changing market trends. But, to my mind, their characteristics of adaptability and innovation can be considered great opportunities to deal with these challenges.

Both Brands have drawbacks and they still lack in order to achieve the ’’ideal’’ status of an automobile manufacturing firm.

Mahindra has also tended to have demand issues because of its production capabilities. Extended waiting times for vehicles such as Thar Roxx and XUV700 turn off customers and could lead to its client's defectors.

So far Mahindra has a limited presence outside of India when compared to companies like Toyota or Hyundai despite a few successes in Africa, South America, and parts of Europe.

This is because the company does not have brand awareness in more developed countries such as the United States and countries in Europe so it can only record moderate growth.

Currently, Tata has evolved from the past but some customers have experienced Tata cars due to problems like poor panel gaps, minor manufacturing flaws, and early destruction of some of the car parts.

After-sales service continues to be a problem area for Tata, where some key issues include complaints of delayed service, non-availability of spares, and poor customer satisfaction. This has been one of the biggest challenges that the company has been having a hard time to tackle this problem.

Both brands are planning big budgets for years to come into electric mobility, self-driving cars and global market domination. Mahindra unveiled its Born Electric platform, while Tata aims to launch 10 new models in the next three years all electric cars show the company’s aspiration to define the future of green mobility.

After facing many challenges, both domestic giants Mahindra and Tata Motors are not only spearheading the Indian automotive market but also revolutionizing the global automotive market. It is important to note that safety, sustainability and innovation have taken precedence in this list.

Both brands are therefore clear evidence that Indian manufacturers can produce world-class vehicles.

Let me know what you think!