Tata Motors has refuted rumours that it is shutting down some of the models in its passenger vehicles (PV) segment. The company reiterated that production has only been cut down at its plant in Pune in accordance with COVID-19 control measures.
There have been speculation and rumours over the past few days on Tata’s car plant in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area of Pune, with some hinting that production had ground to a halt of certain car models due to the COVID-19 second wave. Pune is one of the worst COVID-19 affected regions in the entire country presently.
The official statement says operations at the Pune plant have not been halted, but are continuing with fewer employees “in strict compliance with the guidelines mentioned in the ‘Break the Chain’ order of the Maharashtra government."
The company argues that it is maintaining all Covid protocols at the plant. ”We continue to remain vigilant about the safety and wellbeing of our employees,” the statement reads. “In addition to mandated testing, screening at plant gates is robust and if a symptomatic case is identified, we ensure that the employee is isolated and provided with all support for quarantine and contact tracing thereafter.”
Tata Motors says it has also begun vaccination drives at its plants for eligible staffers aged above 45, in collaboration with local health authorities.
Tata had issued the same statement a few days ago as well, but reissued it again on Monday evening as “rumours continued.” However, it does not directly clarify the rumoured production halts. “Tata Motors has nothing further to add,” according to the spokesperson.
Along with Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors is the foremost domestic car maker from India, known for its Made-in-India passenger car models like Indica, Indigo and Nano. The company has manufacturing plants from Jamshedpur to Sanand, though Pune remains its biggest hub.
While its market share had dropped last decade, the company had been showing a positive revival in recent months, thanks to its indigenously developed new models like Tiago, Tigor, Altroz, Nexon and Harrier. Some of these new models are also available in electric variants. The latest model of Tata’s flagship SUV Safari had also majorly piqued customer interest upon launch three weeks ago.
