Although current monthly sales of between 550 and 600 Tata bakkies and cars remain well below the brand’s peak of 1 500 unit sales in 2005, Tata continues to make a steady comeback from a low of around 150 units a month recorded during the 2008/9 recession, says Accordian Investments (AI) COO Phonnie Cilliers.

AI imports and distributes the Indian Tata brand’s cars, bakkies and mini-trucks in South Africa, with operations having started in 2004. There are more than 70 000 Tatas on South Africa’s roads.

The biggest challenge AI faces in South Africa is that people are not aware of the brand value of Tata worldwide, says Cilliers.

Tata is a 145-year-old group with more than 100 companies active in seven business sectors. Group revenue reached $100-billion in the 2011/12 financial year, with 58% of this generated from outside India. Tata is the world’s fourth-largest truck company in the world, and the second-largest tea company and soda ash provider. It also owns the Jaguar and Land Rover brands.

Tata also holds the majority stake in telecommunications company Neotel, in South Africa, and owns a hotel in Cape Town and a ferrochrome smelter in Richards Bay.

As a car company, however, Tata’s image in South Africa has been somewhat dented by the unpredictable performance of the early Telcoline bakkies.

“We have to regain the confidence of the consumer through offering quality products, parts and service,” notes Cilliers.

One product he hopes will boost AI numbers as it continues to recuperate is the new Xenon XT bakkie, launched earlier this month, as well as the Tata Aria, a multipurpose vehicle to be unveiled later this year.

AI’s current biggest sellers are the Indica/Indigo passenger car at around 300 units, as recorded in August, the current Xenon bakkie, at 117 units, and the SuperAce mini truck, at 83 unit sales.

Cilliers estimates that the new Xenon XT could push Xenon bakkie sales, through its 48 dealers, to around 250 units a month.

Apart from a new 2.2 ℓ common rail diesel engine, the Xenon XT offers more creature comforts and safety features than its Xenon siblings, with the latter opening the door to the leisure, government, secu- rity and mining markets, all of which demand certain safety specifications, such as airbags, says Cilliers.

He believes the new Xenon XT sees Tata’s possible market growing from 5 000 bakkies a month to 10 000 bakkies a month.

The Xenon XT
The XT range comes in four variants – the single-cab 4 × 2, the single-cab 4 × 4, the double-cab 4 × 2 and the double-cab 4 × 4.

The starting price is R189 995, with the range topping out at R269 995.

All vehicles come with a four-year/ 120 000 km manufacturer’s warranty, a four-year/120 000 km anticorrosion warranty, a five-year/90 000 km service plan and a four-year/unlimited kilometres roadside assistance plan.

“The Xenon XT [was] developed keeping in mind customer needs for higher power, higher torque, better fuel efficiency, lower emissions and comfortable and safe driving,” says Cilliers.

A new 2.2 ℓ variable turbine technology, direct-injection common rail diesel engine delivers peak power of 110 kW at 4 000 rpm and peak torque of 320 Nm over a range of 1 500 rpm to 3 000 rpm.

The bakkie also offers electric windows, central locking, antilock brakes, dual airbags, air conditioning, fog lamps, power steering, navigation system, Bluetooth, radio, MP3, side steps, bucket seats with armrests, and a tiltable steering column.

The payload on the single cab 4 × 2 is 1 225 kg, and 1 015 kg on the 4 × 2 double-cab.

The Xenon XT range adds to the existing Xenon range with its 11 variants.