Tata bets on Sierra EV after ICE sales turn cold

SIERRA MAY NOT have been able to match the sales of its closest competitor, the all-new Kia Seltos, so far, but experts said Tata Motors expects to close the gap once the Sierra EV, which launches on June 30, gives the brand incremental sales numbers (the Seltos isn’t available as an EV model yet), and Tata clears its backlog around the festive season.

- VIKRAM CHAUDHARY

• Variant unable to match figures of rival Seltos

Last five months’ sales data shows that Sierra’s ICE variants have lagged behind in sales of its closest competitor, the all-new Kia Seltos. Both these midsize SUV heavyweights were launched around the same time, but data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) shows that the Seltos (53,151 units) has sold almost 1.5 times the Sierra (37,319 units).

Industry experts, however, argued that it isn’t about slowing demand for the Sierra, but more about Tata facing production constraints.

When prices of the Sierra were announced in November last year, the SUV recorded a massive 70,000 bookings within 24 hours, which increased to more than 100,000 by February this year. Customer deliveries, however, were muted — 291 units in December, 7,003 in January, and 7,100 in February.