Indian Buyers Place Significant Emphasis On Design Over Affordability - Ajay Jain, Tata’s India Design Studio Head

The recently introduced trio of facelifted SUVs - Tata Nexon, Tata Safari and Tata Harrier - carry the brand’s bold new design language

There is little doubt that Tata is presently the leading Indian automotive brand when it comes to design and features in the mass-market SUV segments. It recently established a new brand visual identity with the launch of the Tata Nexon facelift, followed shortly by the introduction of the facelifted Tata Harrier and Tata Safari. With their refreshed appearance, these Tata SUVs have a distinguished road presence over their respective segment rivals. But better looks, along with lots of new features, come at a price. According to the head of Tata’s India Design Studio, Ajay Jain, Indian car buyers are willing to pay that premium.

In a recent interaction with CarDekho, when asked about the design challenge posed by Indian tastes, Ajay stated in his response, “One of the unique aspects is the discerning taste of Indian customers, who prioritize design expression, quality, and technology despite the relatively lower cost of vehicle purchases compared to other markets. 

Unlike customers in developed markets who often focus on specific criteria such as price and size when selecting a vehicle, Indian customers place a significant emphasis on the perception and individuality of their choices. Each vehicle they opt for carries weight in defining their persona. This leads to a preference for vehicles that exhibit a unique identity, steering clear of any hint of compromise or settling for the smallest or most affordable option available”, he added. 

In line with Jain’s statement, it is seen that even in budget-centric/low cost car segments, customers tend to opt for the most expensive variants. While the feature additions linked with choosing a higher variant can be limited in affordable car segments, they significantly change how a car looks, with the addition of wheel covers, body coloured exterior parts (unpainted in lower variants) or roof rails.

The recently introduced trio of Tata SUVs arguably offer the most modern design language in their segments with the connected LED lighting elements front and rear, the two-spoke steering wheel with the backlit logo, and the new displays for the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment system.

• Keep track of your car service history with CarDekho

Tata has also introduced bold new colours for each of the facelifted models. For the 2023 Nexon, it’s the colour called Fearless Purple, while the 2023 Harrier sports a brave new shade named Sunlit Yellow, and the 2023 Safari gets a premium hue called Cosmic Gold.

Later in the interview, Ajay mentioned that Tata intends to apply the key elements of its latest design language across the lineup. That implies that even the Tata Tiago and Tata Tigor will sport similar styling details when they undergo their planned updates as well. As Tata’s India Studio Design head phrased it, “Our aspiration is to achieve a similar balance across all our products and body styles”. 

Tata already has an impressive line of cars due to arrive in 2024, including the Punch EV, the Curvv EV and the sportier Tata Altroz Racer variant. What do you make of the new Tata design language as seen with the facelifted Nexon, Harrier and Safari? Let us know in the comment section below.