Tata Motors, one of India’s top car manufacturers, is making waves in the sub-4-meter SUV market.
The Tata Punch is currently the leader in this segment, competing with models like the Hyundai Xcent and Citroen C3.
Recently, Tata Punch has lost two trim levels in both its petrol and CNG options. Let’s look at the details.
Changes to Tata Punch Variants
The Punch has become Tata Motors’ best-selling SUV, with sales of 13,711 units (including both Punch ICE and Punch EV) in September 2024.
Therefore, any changes to the Punch are significant.
The variants that are being removed include the Adventure Persona, which is a higher version above the Pure model.
The Adventure Persona used to offer four trims: Adventure, Adventure Rhythm, Adventure S, and Adventure+ S.
Tata Motors will officially remove the Adventure and Adventure Rhythm trims from its lineup around the festive season, by the end of October 2024.
This change applies to both petrol and petrol+CNG bi-fuel variants.
The manual and AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) gearbox options for these trims are also being discontinued.
The Adventure trim previously started at Rs 7 lakh (ex-showroom).
Now, if customers want a model above the Pure Persona, they will need to pay Rs 7.6 lakh (ex-showroom) for the Adventure S trim, which includes a single-pan sunroof.
For the Adventure AMT, the starting price was Rs 7.6 lakh (ex-showroom). After the removal of the previous trims, the Adventure S AMT now starts at Rs 8.2 lakh (ex-showroom).
Regarding the CNG variants, the Punch Adventure iCNG used to start at Rs 7.95 lakh (ex-showroom).
Now, customers will have to choose the Adventure S iCNG at Rs 8.55 lakh (ex-showroom).
Implications of the Changes
Tata Motors’ decision may indicate two possible trends.
First, the company might be encouraging customers to choose variants equipped with sunroofs in the mid-tier and above the base models.
Second, it seems that customers are showing a growing preference for sunroof-equipped variants, which could be prompting manufacturers to reconsider their offerings of non-sunroof variants.
