The Tiago hatchback has been a runaway success for Tata thanks to its good looks, quality interiors and respectable ride and handling. This coupled with a price tag which undercuts its rivals, the hatchback was able to rack up 50,000 bookings since its launch. Though the company had hiked the Tiago prices by about Rs 7,000 recently, it has not affected the demand for the vehicle.
It was reported earlier, that of the received 50,000 bookings, Tata has only managed to deliver 25,000 vehicles to the customers. The waiting period for some of the variants is as high as four months. To reduce the customers waiting woes, Tata has decided to ramp up production at its Sanand plant. The Sanand facility is producing around 5,000 Tiago’s a month now, as compared to the 3,000 units being built earlier.
The Tata Kite 5 sedan based on the Tiago was going to be manufactured at the Sanand plant as well, however, it is subsequently delayed due to unexpectedly high demand for the Tiago. The manufacturer had planned to bring out the sedan variant around the festive season but the car is now expected to be launched early next year.
Tata Motors also plans to introduce a crossover based on the Tiago hatch, called the Zica Aktiv, which was showcased at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo. This crossover, when confirmed, will also be manufactured at the Sanand plant.
The Sanand facility is capable of churning out 250,000 units a year, but after the plant’s capacity dropped below 10 per cent, prior to the Tiago’s launch, Tata Motors had planned to utilise the Sanand plant to manufacture other products. The Tiago’s high demand resulted in the start of a second shift to increase the production, but even that seemed to be failing to meet the demand of the Tiago.
