Tata Motors is betting big on the newly launched Curvv coupe SUV to gain a bigger and stringer footprint in the Indian SUV space, where the homegrown auto giant has already grabbed a sizeable chunk with its range of SUVs like Punch, Nexon, Safari, Harrier etc., as the automaker's Passenger Vehicle division's Managing Director Shailesh Chandra has hinted PTI in an interaction.

Tata Curvv is one of the biggest car launches in Indian passenger vehicle market in recent weeks. The Tata Curvv EV was launched in the country on August 7. The petrol and diesel-powered versions of the Tata Curvv was launched on September 2 at a introductory starting price of ₹9.99 lakh (ex-showroom). The coupe SUV comes rivalling the Citroen Basalt directly, while it also challenges the models like Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, and Honda Elevate, among others.

Speaking on the launch of Tata Curvv and the company's expectations from this coupe SUV, Chandra reportedly said that Tata Motors is looking to consolidate its position in the Indian SUV market as the car marked the OEM's entry into the highly competitive mid-size space which is currently dominated by South Korean and Japanese carmakers. "Curvv is being positioned in the fast-growing, mid-size SUV segment, which is roughly 16 per cent of the whole industry (passenger vehicle) size. If translated into numbers, it would be like 7 lakh units a year," Chandra reportedly said.

The Tata Motors official noted that the mid-size SUV space is very competitive with various brands having a product already in this segment. Therefore, if one enters this segment so late, then it will have to think of coming up with a slightly differentiated approach, Chandra said. "And that was the thinking behind Curvv..which comes with an SUV coupe body style. We saw that this was gaining popularity globally, especially in the premium or luxury segment," he said, further adding, “So we thought, why don't we bring this into the crowded segment as a fresh, refreshing kind of a body style."

Watch: Tata Curvv EV review: Can electric power charge up compact SUV game?

Tata Curvv: Sales expectations

When asked about sales expectations from the Tata Curvv, Chandra reportedly said, “We have come with this model, with the best in class features. It's a differentiated product in this and therefore we think it is going to perform well." He noted that Tata Motors currently has a market share of around 19 per cent in the SUV segment and expects the Curvv to help it grow further. "We'll gain from where we are. The market leader in SUVs would be, say, 21-22 per cent, so it's a crowded segment. It's not that one player is holding the roost here. All the top 3-4 players in SUVs are around the same market share figure," Chandra reportedly said.

He also noted that the auto company is also looking to enhance its dealer network by around 10-15 per cent in the next one year. "We have a very aggressive plan of expanding dealerships. We will need to have an enhanced network. We will have to make them bigger, also in size. And therefore, for EVs, we have started separation of the outlets. So there will be expansion in touchpoints, not only on the sales side, but big time on the service side as well," Chandra said.

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