Tata Motors is trying everything it can to revive its brand image in the Indian car market. From the new Tiago hatchback to the Hexa SUV, the automaker’s new products scream about the company’s intention of becoming a prominent player in the market in the future. In fact, Tata is aiming to be on the third spot in the Indian passenger car market by the year 2020. In order to do so, the company is adopting various new techniques and forging new tie-ups. One such new partnership has been established between Tata Motors and Microsoft, under which, the two companies will be developing connectivity technologies to enhance the digital user experience. In order to display its seriousness in this domain, Tata Motors recently showcased a new concept car at a Microsoft-organized event in Mumbai. We are here to discuss everything that is known yet about this new concept – the Tata C-Cube Concept.
Why the surprise?
Tata Motors has been intelligently creating hype around its last few products, even before they were launched. However, with the new Tata C-Cube concept, it was a surprise unveil. No one really knew that Tata would be showcasing something new at the event. There were no media reporters attending the showcase, neither was there any live webcast. So the obvious question here is, what was the reason behind this surprise unveil?
Well, the fact is that the C-Cube concept isn’t even ready at the moment. Tata just wanted to showcase the car to event visitors to receive response on the design progress made till date. The company had no idea that the concept car would receive such media attention. But since Tata has been on a roll in the market, every new step from the automaker attracts limelight from the industry. And this is why the Tata C-Cube concept has suddenly been all over the internet, without any attempts by Tata.
Tata C-Cube Concept – Design Review
The C-Cube concept gets a three-door hatchback layout. It looks like a European chic hatchback. The front end comes with a bumper that houses a latitudinal air dam, while the headlamps house projectors as well as LED daytime running lamps (DRLs) on the outer edge. The front grille is a single piece unit with the Tata logo in the center. The bonnet has been given some minor bulges and has the washer fluid nozzles in the middle. The side fenders wrap around the body to join the small V-shaped bonnet.
Move to the side and the car’s European design language becomes a lot more apparent. It gets blacked out multi-spoke O.Z alloys. The window area is fairly large, while the roofline curves over to join the high mounted tail lights. The ORVMs are mounted on the door pads, while the rear fender gets an air vent that points towards the engine being planted at the rear.
The rear end can surely polarize opinions. The taillights have been tastefully designed, though there are some vent-like structures emerging from the light cluster onto the boot lid. This looks a bit out of place on an otherwise clean design. The rear bumper is massive in size and houses the number plate housing.
What is in store in the future?
Tata Motors hasn’t mentioned anything about bringing the C-Cube concept to production in the near future. However, the automaker will likely be displaying a more loaded version of the concept car at the Geneva Motor Show, along with the Futuro sportscar from TAMO. This version is expected to come with advanced connectivity technologies from Microsoft.
If we were in the product planning team of Tata Motors, the C-Cube concept will surely be a car that would make it to production. The fact that the Nano project has nosedived over the past few years despite desperate attempts from the automaker to revive it shows that there is no sense in bringing the brand name back with a new car. And the entry-level hatchback market is overcrowded at the moment, thanks to the Alto 800, Kwid, Eon and redi-GO. As a result, a basic three-door hatchback with such a beautiful design can surely stand out of the crowd and form its own niche following. There are various college going youngsters and new corporate employees that will be willing to buy a two-seater, small hatchback that can hold onto its identity proudly in the sea of other cars.
Tata should thus do something that Maruti did with the Ignis. Launch a production version of the Tata C-Cube for the millenials. It is surely worth the try, especially since they have such a gorgeous design on their hands.