Being one of India’s oldest and biggest Groups, the Tata Group is an Indian-based multinational, multi-industry company founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868. It was founded as a private trading firm. The Group incorporated with the Indian Hotels Company in 1902 to commission the first luxury hotel in India – the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower.
After the death of Jamsetji Tata, his son Dorabji Tata became the chairperson of the Group. Under his leadership, the Group vastly expanded in several industries such as steel, electricity, education, consumer goods, and aviation.
Under the leadership of Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (J.R.D.) The company grew in new sectors such as chemicals, technology, cosmetics, marketing, engineering and manufacturing, tea, and software services and now the company is an Indian multinational conglomerate. Let us look at some of the interesting facts about Tata Group.
1. Tata Group Is Recognized Worldwide
2. Tata Group Built the Country’s First Indigenous Car
3. Tata Built the First Sports Car in India
4. Tata Supplies Defense Vehicles to the Indian Army
5. Tata Built the World’s Cheapest as Well as Costliest Car
6. Tata Group Has Never Invested in the Alcohol or Tobacco Business
7. Tata Group Has Never Sponsored Any Bollywood Movie
8. The Tata Brand Has Been a Pioneering Brand of Many Services
9. Tata Motors Owns Jaguar Land Rover
10. The First Trucks of the Tata Motors Had the Mercedes Logo
11. Tata Steel Acquired the Corus Group in 2007
12. The Tata Logo Has a Unique Meaning
13. Tata Group Was the 5th Most Valuable Corporate in Asia
14. Tata Group Was Included in a Legal Battle by Its Chairman
15. Tata Group Brought Starbucks to India
1. Tata Group Is Recognized Worldwide
This huge company is not only present in India. However, the Tata Group has a market presence all over the world in 175 countries. It is well recognized in the car industry with more than 8.5 million vehicles of the Tata brand.
Tata Group serves a worldwide area and also has its products and services spread out across 6 continents. The company has around 29 products and subsidiaries spread across multiple areas.
2. Tata Group Built the Country’s First Indigenous Car
So many foreign car brands have entered India. But you will be amazed to know that India’s first indigenous car was manufactured in 1998. The Tata Indica is a passenger hatchback car equipped with a 1396 cc diesel engine. This car became a hit instantly.
The Tata Indica was a kind of supermini car with more than 910000 units being produced by August 2008. The same model car had annual sales reaching up to 144690 units by the year 2008-2009. However, the model was discontinued in April 2018. s
3. Tata Built the First Sports Car in India
The Racemo was India’s first sports car which was built by Tata Motors under the badge of its sub-brand Tamo. It has a 190 PS engine that can go up to 100km/hr in 6 seconds. It was unveiled at the 87th Geneva Model Show.
The Racemo was thought to be built in two different models. One was based on roadways and the other one was for the track ready. The final limited number of models that were estimated to be made was around 250 units. However, due to cost issues, the model was halted.
4. Tata Supplies Defense Vehicles to the Indian Army
Tata has been supplying armored trucks and combat-ready vehicles to our Indian army for decades. Their military vehicles include Defence Combat Light Armored Multi-Role Vehicle, Defence Light Support Vehicle, Defence Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV), Defence Combat Wheeled Armored Amphibious Platform (WHAP), and Defence Combat Light Armored Multi-Role Vehicle.
Kanimozhi Sivakumar
5. Tata Built the World’s Cheapest as Well as Costliest Car
Tata Nano, the world’s cheapest car costing 1 lakh was launched in 2008 by TATA Motors. It has a 624cc petrol engine which produces 37bhp of power and 51Nm of torque. The production of this car eventually stopped in 2019.
The car was also introduced as the world’s first-ever gold jewelry car. It was made of gold, silver, and precious gems and was made to celebrate 5000 years of jewelry making in India. The car cost over INR 22 crores.
Devashish Shrivastava
6. Tata Group Has Never Invested in the Alcohol or Tobacco Business
Although, intoxicants have a greater business in a country like India. Though the company had expanded its business in various areas, it never invested in tobacco and alcohol.
Tata Group has stayed true to its value even after so many years of its establishment. Tata Group has never ever invested in any alcohol or tobacco business. The same statement was stated by Tata Sons director J J Irani on 31 July 2010.
7. Tata Group Has Never Sponsored Any Bollywood Movie
Many huge companies try to invest once in the entertainment industry. But very interestingly Tata has never financed any Bollywood movies. But in 2003 the company co-produced the big-budget movie Aetbaar.
The number of films produced by the Tata Group is still negligible. It is not a lie to say that Tata Group prefers to stay away from investing in Bollywood films until any exceptional moment arrives.
8. The Tata Brand Has Been a Pioneering Brand of Many Services
From providing the first branded salt to establishing the first steel mill in India, Tata established its strong base from the very start for our developing country. They also established five-star hospitality in India, IT services, power companies, etc.
It was also the first to organize branded jewelry and the first to sell retail steel in India. Tata has around 29 different subsidiaries and their count keeps on increasing with the introduction of new subsidiaries in the market by the Tata Group.
9. Tata Motors Owns Jaguar Land Rover
After ascending as the chairman of the Tata Group, Ratan Tata played a crucial role in acquiring powerful businesses. One of them is the acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover.
Jaguar Land Rover is a Britain automobile company that is a part of Tata Motors. It manufactures, designs, and sells cars of the same name. Tata Group acquired both companies from Ford and merged them in 2008.
10. The First Trucks of the Tata Motors Had the Mercedes Logo
Tata Motors had a technical collaboration with Daimler Benz, a merged company that manufactures the Mercedes-Benz cars. Due to this, the first trucks produced by Tata had the Mercedes-Benz logo.
Tata Group has been in the automobile field for a long course of time. The time started with the rolling out of Telco in 1954. The telco was the first truck manufactured by the Tata Group but with the logo of Mercedez on it.
11. Tata Steel Acquired the Corus Group in 2007
Tata completed one of the biggest corporate takeovers by acquiring the Anglo-Dutch steel manufacturer Corus Group in 2007 April. Tata acquired the company for £6.2 billion which is US 12 billion dollars.
Corus Group is one of the biggest manufacturing and steel-producing companies in Europe formed in 1999. The Corus Group earlier was also formed after the merger of British Steel of the United Kingdom and Koninklijke Hoogovens of the Netherlands
Devashish Shrivastava
12. The Tata Logo Has a Unique Meaning
The Tata logo is designed by the popular Wolff Olins consultancy. Wolff Olin’s consultancy is a British advertising agency and corporate identity consultancy. The logo of Tata Group was designed with much thought and meaning behind it. It symbolizes fluidity and adaptability. The color blue stands for the excellence, reliability, and strength of the company’s products.
The logo can also be interpreted as the fountain of knowledge, or a tree most probably a tree of trust under which people can take refuge. Irrespective of the interpretation, the logo has a deep meaning attached to it.
13. Tata Group Was the 5th Most Valuable Corporate in Asia
Even after facing many downfalls in the past decades. In 2015, Tata Motors became the 5th most valuable corporate brand in Asia due to its high net revenue and overall growth. Tata Group has also given much acknowledgment to its key person. Sir Jamsetji Tata also received the title of Hurun Philanthropist of the Century in 2021.
14. Tata Group Was Included in a Legal Battle by Its Chairman
The Tata Group was led by Cyrus Mistry for a short period of 4 years. Cyrus Mistry was the second chairman of Tata Group with no “Tata” in the name.
Cyrus worked as a Chairman for the Tata Group from 2012-2016 and was removed from the post in 2016 by the board of members. On the contrary, Cyrus approached the NCLT to file a case with the claim that the company is oppressing the interests of small stakeholders.
He alleged the company of oppressing the minority shareholders and quoted his removal as an instance. The legal battle between Cyrus Mistry and the Tatas was in action for almost six years with the final decision given by the Supreme Court on May 2022. At last, the court rejected the reviewing petition filed by Cyrus and stayed firm on the verdict passed by the Supreme Court, which was in favor of Tata.
15. Tata Group Brought Starbucks to India
Under the leadership of Sir Ratan Tata, Tata Consumer Products Ltd. partnered with Starbucks Coffee Company in 2012 to bring the famous coffee brand to India. This joint venture introduced café culture to Indian cities, making Starbucks a popular spot for coffee lovers and adding to Tata Group’s international collaborations.
Sandhya Raju
Conclusion
Though companies are created and organized to make money and fame, the same is not the story for Tata. Jamsetji Tata built his company with the simple mission of “making people’s lives better”.
It paved the way for all the industries that followed by acting as the pioneer of almost all of them. The revenue of Tata Group rose from $4 billion to $100 billion under Ratan Tata’s leadership from 1991 to 2012. With revenue of $165 billion as of FY24, the Tata Group stands as one of the biggest groups not only in India but all over the world.
FAQs
What is the meaning of the Tata logo?
The meaning of the Tata logo is to show fluidity and adaptability. The blue color in the logo stands for the meaning of excellence, reliability, and strength of the company products.
What makes the Tata Group unique?
The Tata Group was the first one to introduce many new concepts in India. And more than that, the company looks for its value over any other possible aspect. All these aspects make the Tata Group unique from other similar companies.
What is the main product of Tata?
Tata has a list of approximately 30 Tata products including names like Tata Steel, Tata Enterprises, Titan, etc.
What are the 5 Tata values?
The 5 values of Tata are integrity, unity, responsibility, excellence, and pioneering.
What is the revenue of Tata Group for FY24?
With revenue of $165 billion as of FY24, the Tata Group stands as one of the biggest groups not only in India but all over the world.
