Guenter Butschek

Manning the helm at tata motors, its CEO and MD seems to be a man in a hurry to transform india’s lumbering automaker into an agile, easy-to-steer global company. Can he pull it off?

- Hormazd Sorabjee

When Guenter Butschek took over the reins of Tata Motors in February 2016, he inherited a brand that was suffering from an image crisis. When asked how acute this problem was, he frankly admits: “Our brand perception study revealed that the brand had a disconnect with the youth – many products had a strong taxi image, customer service expectations were poorly met and hence we were not on the consideration list of many buyers.”

These findings are some of many that define the sorry state of affairs at the company, but it was also the right catalyst that has woken up this slumbering giant to seek out-of-the-box solutions that will drive it towards the future. This has translated into a multipronged strategy which includes a new sub-brand, all-new modular platforms, an alliance with a global major and a transformation at Tata Motors’ internal hierarchy into a more effective one.

TAMO – MAKING TATA YOUNG

“Tamo by definition is our brand new mobility solution that uses advanced tech like Moflex construction technology and new connectivity solutions, and will be targeted at the youth.” He goes on to say that “Tamo’s business model is unique and could see a product from the drawing board to delivery in a very short time.”