Tag: Shailesh Chandra

  • Tata Motors overhauls board as it splits commercial vehicle unit

    Tata Motors overhauls board as it splits commercial vehicle unit

    MUMBAI: Tata Motors is reshuffling its boardroom as India’s biggest carmaker prepares to spin off its commercial vehicle business into a separate listed entity. The Mumbai-based company announced sweeping changes to its leadership on 26 September, with three independent directors stepping down and a new managing director taking the helm.

    The biggest change sees Shailesh Chandra appointed as managing director and chief executive, replacing Girish Wagh, who will move to head the soon-to-be-listed TML Commercial Vehicles. Chandra, currently joint managing director of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, will serve a three-year term from 1 October.

    Three independent directors are departing as part of the reorganisation. Hanne Sorensen, a former Tata Consultancy Services board member, will step down on 30 September  but remain on the board of Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors’ British luxury car unit. Kosaraju Veerayya Chowdary and Guenter Karl Butschek will both leave on 1 October  to join the commercial vehicles entity’s board.

    Replacing them is Sudha Krishnan, a former senior civil servant who retired in 2020 as member finance to India’s Space Commission and Atomic Energy Commission.  Krishnan, who has four decades of experience in public policy and finance, will serve a five-year term as independent director.

    The changes come as Tata Motors executes a composite scheme of arrangement approved by India’s National Company Law Tribunal. The demerger, which becomes effective on 1 October, will see shareholders receive one share in TML Commercial Vehicles for every share they hold in Tata Motors.

    In another significant move, P B Balaji will resign as group chief financial officer on 17 November  to become chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover. He will be replaced by Dhiman Gupta, currently chief financial officer of Tata Passenger Electric Mobility. Unusually,  Balaji will rejoin Tata Motors’ board as a non-executive director on the same day he steps down from his executive role.

    The restructuring reflects Tata Motors’ strategy to separate its commercial vehicle operations from its passenger car and Jaguar Land Rover businesses. The company is also transferring Rs 2,300 crore worth of non-convertible debentures to the commercial vehicles unit as part of the demerger.

    The board changes were approved at a meeting that ran from 2pm to 5pm on 26 September, with all appointments subject to shareholder approval.

  • Tata Motors slows down with 8.5 per cent dip in Q1 vehicle sales

    Tata Motors slows down with 8.5 per cent dip in Q1 vehicle sales

    MUMBAI: When the going gets tough, even the trucks slow down and Tata’s latest sales pitstop shows just that. Tata Motors hit a speed bump in the first quarter of FY26, clocking 2,10,415 units in total vehicle sales, a decline of 8.5 per cent year-on-year from 2,29,891 units in Q1 FY25. The slide was felt across both passenger and commercial segments, as domestic demand cooled off amid high base effects, macro headwinds, and flat market sentiment in May and June.

    Commercial vehicles bore the brunt, with total CV sales down 6 per cent YoY to 85,606 units. While HCV trucks fell 12 per cent, and small commercial vehicles (SCVs and pickups) dropped 17 per cent, there was some traction in ILMCV trucks and passenger carriers, which managed modest growth of 5 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. Interestingly, Tata’s international CV business was in overdrive revving up 68 per cent over the same quarter last year, thanks to new markets like Egypt and expanded play in the MENA region.

    Passenger vehicles also faced headwinds, with sales slipping 10% to 1,24,809 units, of which EVs contributed 16,231 units, a marginal 2 per cent dip YoY. The good news? Electric optimism is holding charge. EV sales picked up pace towards the quarter’s end, and new launches like the Altroz and Harrier.ev are expected to spark further momentum in the months ahead. The refreshed Tiago, meanwhile, zipped ahead with 16 per cent YoY growth.

    In the domestic market alone, Tata sold 2,03,411 vehicles, down 10 per cent, while international business sales rose on the back of a strong 67.9 per cent lift in CV exports.

    Tata Motors executive director Girish Wagh called it a “subdued start” to the fiscal, pointing to muted demand in heavy and small truck segments. But he remained upbeat, banking on a “healthy monsoon, repo rate cuts, and infrastructure push” to recharge CV demand in coming quarters. The company also launched India’s most affordable mini-truck, the Ace Pro, in multiple fuel variants, and introduced air-conditioned cabins across its truck range, a move aimed at improving driver comfort in gruelling conditions.

    Passenger Vehicles MD Shailesh Chandra, meanwhile, struck a cautiously optimistic note: “The EV segment was a bright spot,” he said, adding that Tata is “well positioned” to build on its lead with a fresh lineup across hatchbacks and SUVs.

    With the festive season on the horizon and fuel prices stabilising, Tata’s drive through FY26 may yet shift back into a higher gear. For now though, it’s a recalibration pitstop and the engines are humming, but not quite roaring.

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  • Tata Motors sponsors GenZ’s interest in developing Electric Vehicles

    Tata Motors sponsors GenZ’s interest in developing Electric Vehicles

    Mumbai: Tata Motors has collaborated with IIT Bombay Racing Team, sponsoring a team of 70 budding engineers to fulfill their aspirations of developing an electric race car "EVoK". IIT Bombay Racing is India's premier Formula Student Electric team with a vision to "Revolutionize Electric Mobility in India focusing on sustainable technologies and innovations". This electrified team competed at the prestigious international competition, Formula Student UK 2019, held annually after the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit in the UK in July. The team achieved an all-time best overall rank of 30 out of the 118 participating teams and secured the third position amongst the teams competing in the electric car space.

    The Tata Motors’ Electric Vehicle Business Unit (EVBU) has been supporting the IIT Bombay Racing Team for the past four years as a key sponsor, but this year they took this collaboration to the next level by mentoring and providing expert insights and granting unprecedented access to industry-grade testing facilities including the high-speed ERC test track in Pune. The IIT Bombay students were also awarded with two-month internship opportunities at Tata Motors as a part of their association to further hone their skills.

    According to Mr. Shailesh Chandra, President – Electric Mobility Business & Corporate Strategy, Tata Motors Ltd., said, “Staying true to the company’s testament of making an impact in advancing the skills of the country’s youth, this partnership presented us with an opportunity to not only mentor promising young engineers but also enable them to represent the country and compete at an international platform. We are proud of the efforts made by the students of the IIT Bombay Racing team by developing their most advanced Electric racing vehicle yet and accomplishing one of their best ranks in the competition till date.”

    Tata Motors has rolled out a 4-part campaign that focuses on the team’s journey from the inception to the development of 'EVoK', the electric race car, and the team’s success at the Formula Student UK 2019. The campaign attempts to generate awareness about e-mobility, make electric vehicles mainstream and dispel myths associated with EV technology. The campaign has become a huge success online and has garnered over 2 Lakh views on our Social Media Platform. Watch the journey of IIT Bombay students as they turn their dreams into reality,