For a company that entered the passenger car space just a little over two decades ago, it is quite remarkable how Tata Motors has signed up with a top global brand like Volkswagen.

The credit for this transformation journey from a traditional truck maker goes to Ratan Tata who took over as Chairman in 1991, the year when India kicked off its historic reforms programme. As multinational car companies began making their entry into this market, Telco (as it was then known) quickly signed up with Mercedes-Benz for a joint venture in 1994.

However, the bigger project that was happening behind the scenes was the Chairman’s pet passion in developing a Make-in-India car. It was a truly ambitious programme for a company that only used to roll out trucks and buses to think so big in making a car that was intended to give market leader, Maruti, a run for its money.

This was the Tata Indica which was truly the people’s car in making affordable mobility a reality. And even while the JV with Mercedes continued, this project was the centre of focus within the company. Soon, it became the topic of discussion across the country where everyone was talking about this homegrown car from the stable of the country’s most respected corporate brand.

The Indica was planned for display at the Delhi Auto Expo of 1998 and the curiosity levels had peaked by then. By the time it was due for unveiling, it truly seemed as if everyone had made off to the Tata pavilion. The launch happened many months later towards end-1998 and this diesel compact took off with a bang. However, its good run did not last too long as other competitive models entered the market.

Ratan Tata, however, had bigger plans in pushing the envelope on affordable mobility. When news broke out that his company was working on a Rs 1-lakh car, the world sat up and took notice. In the meantime, an alliance was forged with Fiat which was struggling in India and wanted a strong partner to reboot its innings. Tatas seemed the perfect fit and the two decided to team up for manufacturing and joint retail.

Yet, it was the Rs 1-lakh car which was making the news as people waited to see if this dream could actually be translated into reality. The unveiling was scheduled at the 2008 Delhi Auto Expo and the crowds at the Tata pavilion had to be seen to be believed. When Ratan Tata finally showcased the Nano to a near hysterical audience, a roar went up in approval. And when he announced the base price tag of Rs 1-lakh with the now memorable phrase, ‘A promise is a promise’, the crowds cheered even more.

By this time, Tata Motors was getting ready for its next audacious big in acquiring Jaguar Land Rover, the British brand duo, from Ford Motor Company. This was in 2008 when the world was in the grip of a slowdown following the Lehman crisis. The $2.3 billion price tag for JLR seemed disproportionately high in this background but today it is the lifeline for Tata’s passenger car business.

The bad news was that the Nano lost its way in the market as buyers did not quite fancy the idea of buying a ‘cheap car’. Fiat also decided to go its own way in retail while the manufacturing alliance remained intact. As Tata’s car volumes began plummeting after the Nano debacle, it was clear that things were not looking so good.

There were practically no product launches between 2009 and 2014 and the management realised that it was time to get things back on track. Ratan Tata had, meanwhile, stepped down as Chairman in 2012 and the new team launched the Bolt and Zest hatchbacks. This was followed by the Tiago which got the momentum going. As more products are scheduled to be launched, the mojo is slowly returning at Tata Motors even as it embarks on a new cycle with VW.