In conversation with Vivek Srivatsa, Chief Commercial Officer, TPEM, about the Tata Curvv coupe SUV

The Tata Curvv is set to be launched on August 7 in the EV form, followed by the ICE a few days after. We spent some time at the design centre in the UK with the final production versions of the Tata Curvv – both the ICE and the EV variants and we learned a lot about these upcoming SUVs. The Curvv is a coupe SUV from Tata Motors that will compete with the likes of the Creta, Seltos, Kushaq, Taigun and the rest of the mid-size SUV segment. It will also debut the new 1.2 turbo-charged direct-injection petrol engine that was first announced at the last Auto Expo.

We also got the opportunity to talk to Vivek Srivatsa, Chief Commercial Officer, TPEM, about the upcoming Curvv. He talks about its positioning, the significance of the mid-size SUV segment and how Tata Motors feels that Indian customers are ready for a brave design like this one. He also talks about the multi powertrain strategy and how it is critical to growth in the market, the state of the EV market at the moment and launch timelines. Read on for excerpts from our conversation. 

Since you’re here, check out our detailed walkaround of the ICE and EV Tata Curvv.

Positioning of the Tata Curvv

“It is a mid-SUV but we wanted to bring a very differentiated offering to customers, which is very design-led and adds a lot of premium. This has been our philosophy right from the Nexon, the Harrier, and the Punch, where we get into a category but offer something very different for the customers. With the Curvv, it has a very premium positioning, a premium design of an SUV Coupe, but you'll see that we also added a lot of practicality into it, which we think the category was missing a little bit. So for customers, it's a win-win. They get a premium design, but yet they get a lot of practicality added on to it, which we think will make a big difference for us to get into the segment very strongly.” 

On the Indian customer being ready for SUV Coupes

“I think the Indian customer has shown that he or she is ready to embrace a lot of newness as long as it suits their requirements, and nobody better than the Indian consumer to recognise a good thing when they see it, so we are very positive. And like I said for us, of course the SUV coupe is a very new category, but it's not the first time that we are differentiating a category and bringing a very different design philosophy. I gave you some examples earlier, so I would say more in the same direction. We are very confident, like I said, that it is designed without compromise. There is no compromise at all and the kind of options customers will get with the Curvv is huge, and we’re really looking at replicating the success we had with other products in the SUV category with the Curvv as well.”

On having multiple powertrains on the Curvv

“See, it's a big category; the mid-SUV right now is at about 32 per cent of the SUV category, likely to become even bigger. Because, as a category, it's a very sweet spot. It's almost like if you have one car at home, it could be the mid SUV because you have an SUV, you have a car that offers enough space, it delivers the level of prestige in the neighbourhood, it's good for long drives with five people and enough boot space, so I think this is a category that is going to grow even further, and it's very important for us to cater to the sheer width of customer base that this category will bring in. So it's important to have that level of options — powertrain options as well as transmission options going forward. It's worked well, when you look at our other models – for example, the Nexon. Multi-powertrain strategy has worked very well for us with the CNG in Tiago, the EVs in Nexon, and the EV and CNG in Punch. I think it's about fully squeezing out the potential of a brand and its ability to get a wide set of customers and solve a wide set of use cases, so we're very confident about this approach.”

On different drivetrains overlapping and competing

“If you have to grow, there is a certain amount of overlap that's going to happen. You can't have watertight product packages, it's impossible. And it's a good thing as well, where customers come into our showroom and see a lot of options for them, and this overlap is something that we would like to have so that we can also upgrade customers where it's possible, so it's something we'll have to live with, and you can't develop a product portfolio where each product becomes an individual kind of package; it's going to limit our customer base. I think we've kind of learned how to manage this overlap with our previous product. We have Nexon, Punch, Altroz, and, to some extent, Nexon Harrier; there's a lot of overlap. So I think we've learned how to manage the overlap, and we've realised that it's required for us to expand our overall customer base.”

On the new petrol engine

“A new petrol engine from us after a long time, and I'm sure all of you will be delighted when you drive it.”

We also sat down with Martin Uhlarik, VP & Head of Global Design, Tata Motors to talk about the new Curvv and what went behind designing it. Read the full conversation here.

On the EV launching first

“I think in many ways it is the top kind of version that we'll deliver on the Curvv. It allows us to really showcase the potential of Curvv as a product, not belittling what's going to come on the ICE side. That comes with a different set of packages in terms of powertrain. But in terms of the sheer features that the EV architecture allows us to unleash, it's a good way to start with that and then kind of get the other products.”

On the EV market declining

“I think it's a very temporary blip. The two big requests from EV customers are range and better charging infrastructure. With Curvv, we'll definitely give newer range options to customers. But overall, the market is looking at more access to a better range and much more predictable charging infrastructure. We are working very actively with consumers and also with the charging service providers. In what we call open collaboration, we are giving them data about the hotspots where customers are charging and where it's best to put up new chargers, both within the city and on the highways. In the next two years, a combination of all the startups in the charging ecosystem and the government, as well as the oil marketing companies, are going to really pump a lot of money into expanding charging infrastructure. The larger battery sizes will come in, and people will start going longer distances. So I think these two will combine to really liberate customers in terms of potential.”

On delivery timelines of the Curvv

“We should probably start deliveries of EVs within the next 15 days after that [launch on August 7]. ICE will also follow very soon. We'll have another launch of ICE. And the same cycle will repeat subsequently.”