N Chandrasekaran’s five-year extension as Chairman of Tata Sons augurs well for group company, Tata Motors, which has grown quickly in recent times to emerge as the top three carmakers in India.

Chandrasekaran has also been a key pivot in the company’s electrification roadmap where it is now the lead player in the space with its Nexon EV and, more recently, the Tigor. Tata Motors has also reiterated that it will push even more aggressively in electric going forward which could cover up to 40 percent of its portfolio by 2030.

All this is in sync with what the Centre is targeting going forward as part of its efforts to keep vehicular emissions in check. The entire Tata group has thrown its weight behind the electric drive where a host of companies including Tata Power, Tata Capital, Tata Chemicals, Croma etc are now part of a supporting ecosystem for Tata Motors. The company has also signalled its intent to focus on another clean fuel option in the form of compressed natural gas for select car models. 

Chandra, as he is popularly called, will be expected to push for more synergies with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) which Tata Motors had acquired over a decade ago. Collaborative work is already happening in a big way and this will only intensify in the future with electric being a key component of the overall roadmap.

Over the last few months, Chandra’s meetings with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin, sparked off speculation that Tata Motors was being wooed to take over the Ford plant near Chennai. Whether that happens is a million-dollar question since it involves a whole lot of issues relating to manpower costs and so on. For now, Chandra will be keen to have Tata Motors firing on all cylinders, both in passenger cars and commercial vehicles with clean fuels getting more focus in the coming years.