Going Global Case Study

Indica’s Foreign Foray

OR

Abstract:
In the 1990s, when India Inc. was struggling with the implications of liberalisation policy, nobody expected India's products to go global. Traditionally, the Indian industry was considered a follower of the West owing to its low quality products and a nascent manufacturing industry. This was particularly true for the automobile industry, which was in its initial stages of growth. But when Tata Motors signed an agreement with MG Rover Group of UK in 2002 to export Indica, India's first indigenous car, it attracted attention of many automakers who realised the potential that India held. Tata Motors launched Indica in 1998, although the car did not succeed initially, the sales picked up with the re-launch of Indica.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To discuss the reasons behind the success of Tata Motors' Indica in the passenger car segment
• To discuss Indica's remarkable debut in the European market.

Contents:

• The Launch of Indica
• The Reinvention of Indica
• Indica-Rover deal

Keywords : Tata Motors; Indica; Indica V2; MG Rover; CityRover; Idea; Institut Francais Du Petrol of France; Engineering Research Centre; China Brilliance Industrial Holdings; Phoenix consortium; European Union; Block exemption; Small car segment; Market Entry Strategies Case Study; British car industry; Supermini cars