2014 Tata Zest: Start of a new beginning for Tata Motors?

  • Jul 16, 2014
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We take a closer look into Tata Motors' latest attempt at reviving its fortunes, the Zest

2014 Tata Zest in action

A lot is riding on the new 2014 Tata Zest. It marks the new direction Tata intends taking for all its future products. And, it’s not just limited to a new design language, but quality, driving pleasure and communication – areas where Tata Motors has struggled over the years – will see increased impetus as well. There’s also a clear air of confidence among the Tata Motors team, and there are younger faces all round; faces that not only understand and acknowledge issues Tata cars have had, but are willing to listen and take corrective actions.

The First Step

The Zest is the first step in this direction. Now, what we need to understand is that the Zest isn’t a ground up new product but one that’s based on the Vista platform and therefore has its share of shortcomings. Of course, the Tata team has worked hard to eliminate, and in places they couldn’t because of time and cost issues, disguise, these shortcomings. The end result is a car that not only looks upmarket, pleasing and well planted, it also has an air of ‘want’ to it. Now that’s something you don’t hear or read about a Tata product too often. 

So, how does the new Tata Zest bring about this change? On the design front, it marks the direction all new Tata Motors products will take. Elements like the humanity line, the diamond DLO and the slingshot line will feature on all Tata offerings from small cars to large SUVs. Of course, the interpretation of these lines will be slightly different; for a hatch or a compact sedan like the Zest, the lines will be softer, more rounded, while for an SUV like the new Safari or the upcoming new CUV, these would be edgier to give the latter a more aggressive and in your face stance. This design direction, we believe, will help immensely for it will give Tata products an air of modernity that’s seriously missing at the moment.

Tata Zest interior

Upping Quality

Next up is the improvement in quality, fit and finish and operability; areas where Tata products have really struggled to match the competition. Traces of this can be seen on the Zest. From its dashboard design, to the selection and colour of materials and even the tighter and more consistent panel gaps, the Zest is a huge step up over the likes of the Vista. Yes, it still leaves something to be desired in the area of fit and operability, but these are shortcomings of the Vista platform that Tata has failed to eliminate. So, the Zest still doesn’t have a very practical cabin in terms of usable stowage spaces; it still doesn’t have sorted pedal positioning; and though the NVH has been worked upon, there’s still some distance to cover to match the competition. But these will be sorted on newer models, Tata assures us.

Tata Zest Revotron engine

Finally there’s technology. Technology relating to engines and drivetrains as well as connectivity will be a big focus area for Tata Motors. And the reason for this is simple; Tata now wants to connect, attract and please a younger buying audience. And understandably so. Buyers, in both urban and semi urban areas, are getting more affluent, more image conscious and more addicted to the world of smartphones. But, as these buyers get older, they aspire and work towards owning more snobbish brands. So, badges like Maruti, Hyundai and Tata, isn’t even on their consideration list. For these car makers, it is important, therefore, to tap the upwardly mobile, younger audience.

These buyers, even though they might not have Rs 15 to Rs 18 lakh to spend, still want the latest stuff. The tie up with Harman for the Zest’s infotainment system, is Tata’s way to address this. The system on the top of the line Zest has touchscreen, voice activated controls, Bluetooth and the ability to play nearly any sort of audio input. The interface is well thought out too. More importantly, this is a scalable platform. So, as and when new features, apps or updates need to be added to cater to more expensive products like the larger SUVs, it can be done on this Harman platform without incurring big expenses.

Future ready

In fact, everything that Tata Motors is now doing, is with an eye to the future. It already has its product lineup decided till 2020. And each of these products have been defined to the degree wherein designers, engineers and marketers have a clear idea of what the broad deliverables are. This sort of clarity on the car maker’s part, be it for engines, performance targets, fuel efficiency ratings or ride and handling benchmarks, not to mention connectivity solutions, is bound to benefit the consumer as well.

The Tata Zest then, most certainly marks a new beginning for Tata Motors. The intent is very clear. Now what remains to be seen is how well the company delivers with these new products when they actually hit showrooms; price, performance, features, et al.

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