Soon after Carl-Peter Foster, former head of General Motors Europe, joined the 65-year-old Tata Motors, he asked for 100 days to come to grips with his job. He appeared to have gathered much more, as was evident from his body language in his first exhaustive interaction with the Indian media after being appointed as managing director and chief executive officer six months ago. He believes it has got what is needed to become a global automotive player. Edited excerpts:
It has been six months since you joined. What do you like to do differently?
It is our plan to take JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) forward. First thing at JLR we focused on was product plan. Our first job was to see what should be the future product portfolio. Next is how we can improve sales and marketing. We are brining new people in. We have to work on delivering excellent quality.
How do you see the joint venture with Fiat?
We see the association with Fiat as an important JV (joint venture). We see it as a great addition to our own brand. It is a good proposition for our dealer to do additional business. We want to make it a success. Yes, we are not satisfied exactly where we are right now in terms of volume, but we are taking a very strong stance and will improve that business.
Are there more opportunities with Fiat?
Yes, for example, we have to think with Fiat on what can we do to perhaps have more Fiat products in India. This is just one of the options - increase the product range and get more coverage. We are currently taking up the Tata dealership which could take up the Fiat brand of vehicles. There is more we can do in India.
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