The charisma is still intact. When Ratan Tata entered the Tata Pavilion at the Geneva Motor Show, he was the cynosure of all eyes. Along with him was N Chandrasekaran who recently took charge as Chairman of the Tata group.

Tata was quickly joined by Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, and the two were seen chatting away. JLR is, of course, one of the biggest acquisitions for the Group which has proved to be the lifeline for the passenger car business. Speth, in turn, has pulled out all stops with his team to ensure that the company has truly gone global with markets like China fuelling the growth story.

As the unveiling of the cars got under way, Tata, Chandrasekaran and Speth were all ears as Guenter Butschek, Managing Director and CEO of Tata Sons, discussed the road ahead for each of the models. With him were his colleagues, Mayank Pareek, President (Passenger Cars), Tim Leverton, Head (Advanced & Product Engineering), and Pratap Bose, Head (Design).

As soon as the press meet was over, journalists made a beeline for Tata. “These cars are all fantastic,” said the former Chairman who led the way in catapulting Tata Motors to the status of a passenger car maker with the Indica in the late-1990s. He was visiting the Geneva Motor Show after a gap of four years (since he had retired as Chairman in 2012).

Geneva is, of course, familiar territory for Tata Motors where it has been a consistent participant for the last two decades. And it is Ratan Tata who has truly led the way in the passenger car story and the imperatives of going global. What began as a revolutionary product in the form of the Indica led to an even more sensational headline grabber with the Nano in 2008.

The two products may not have set the sales charts afire but there is no question that it was Tata who was determined to show the world that his company could go beyond manufacturing trucks. It was also the buyout of JLR for nearly $2.5 billion that reiterated the commitment to the car business.

Chandrasekaran smiled his way through as journalists crowded around him but refused to indulge anyone with a sound byte even as he made polite conversation. What came through loud and clear from the Tata Motors team is the intent to push the envelope in the mobility space. There have been some big disappointments like Nano but recent launches like Tiago seem to suggest that Tata Motors is keen on an image makeover with its new models. With Tamo, the new sub-brand, which has paved the way for the Racemo as the first product, a new chapter seems to be emerging.

The writer is in Geneva on an invitation from Tata Motors

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