India’s Tata Motors rolls out in the Philippines

Indian auto giant Tata Motors has confirmed its entrance in the Philippine market via an exclusive distributorship deal with Pilipinas Taj Autogroup Inc.RT Wasan, head of international business for commercial vehicles of Tata Motors, made the announcement during the company’s launch at the Manila International Auto Show 2014 yesterday.“Philippines is one of the key markets for Tata Motors in the ASEAN Region. To start with we have lined up the Xenon, the Super Ace and the Ace at MIAS based on our intense study and understanding of the customers and their requirements in Philippines.” Wasan said.Pilipinas Taj general manager Nicandro Mariano said that Tata will be introducing a total of 10 models by the end of the year. A Tata showroom is now open in Davao and is scheduled to open another brand in Cainta.Tata’s expansion in the Philippines is aligned with Horizonext, an “aggressive customer-focused strategy for its passenger vehicles business” first announced in June 2013. This covers the improvement of existing models and the development of new cars that appeals to a more global user base – a move that confirms Tata’s global ambitions.Tata’s agency partner for its Philippine debut has yet to be revealed but a pitch or appointment could be likely based on past launches. In August 2012, McCann Worldgroup trumped six agencies to launch the Tata Motors brand in Indonesia while independent Melbourne agency ZOO Advertising launched Tata’s Xenon in Australia, an account it won without a pitch.