T. M. Arun Kumar and Mahesh Shetty

Read about what drives Tata Engineering’s V. Sumantran, the new man behind the machine

His mission right now is not to build Mercs and BMWs — he has already led product programmes at Saab. This time he is focussing on making a clean success of Tata Engineering’s passenger car business.

Having worked with the mother of all motor companies, General Motors, for a good 16 years, building world-class cars is something that Dr Sumantran is used to. So, in an industry where size does matter, he comes from the biggest of them all. "I am not new to organisations as large as Tata Engineering, I am used to the size. Size is an asset as the auto industry demands very large investments in resources, both capital and human."

Dr Sumantran sees many similarities between Tata Engineering and GM. Both are big, have a huge labour force and are respected for their traditions of corporate governance. "In many ways, I’ve come to see, GM is like Tata Engineering. GM is an organisation that is very fair to all it’s constituents, in the sense that it pays due attention to inputs from all angles. It is also a considerate company, in the sense that it treats its people very well."

The way forward for Tata Engineering is to take on a more global outlook. "We have already done so much with the Indica. The next challenge is to make it truly world-class, so that we can compete with the best in the world in the segment we target. We have to work within the existing constrains and achieve this," he says.

Talking of designing cars, Dr Sumantran thinks automobiles will eventually evolve from running on petrol and diesel to non-conventional power trains that can be electrical or hybrids.

After the prediction comes the rider. "When you are predicting the future, the first thing to keep in mind is, don’t predict if you can avoid it.

But if you have to, then predict often. That way, you are likely to be right at least sometimes," he says with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Building cars is one thing and racing them is another. But Dr Sumantran is passionate about both. He is not only a keen race enthusiast but has also had associations of another kind with professional motor sports. "I am an aerodynamicist by training. I’ve done some preparation work on cars for friends, though not in an official capacity," he says. And he has dabbled in racing himself, though not of the professional kind. He has been at the Formula Ford racing driver’s school.

Dr Sumantran is very optimistic about the future of India’s aspirations for Formula One. "We are in a very good position. Some of our youngsters, like Narain Karthikeyan and Karan Chandok, are shaping up well and are getting sponsorships from the likes of JK Tyres and others. They will slowly work their way up the rungs. After one or two guys make it, more people will take to the cart tracks and racing schools, and that’s what you need to do to build a flow of talent," he says. But he cautions that this will be a 10-15 year journey.

Would Tata Engineering lend support to motor racing? "One should never mix recreation with running a business, but if it makes sense for the business, then sure," he says.

Who is his favourite driver? "My 11-year-old nephew and I differ on this. He is a Michael Schumacher fan and always calls me when Schumacher wins," says Dr Sumantran, himself a Mika Hakkinnen fan. He lays his bets on this Finnish double world champion and not the ‘winning’ driver Schumacher.

"Among the all-time greats, Ayrton Senna was brilliant. But, five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio had a combination of genius and philosophical maturity, for which he has earned special regard."

How does the speed enthusiast slow down and unwind? He says with a laugh, "Someone asked Henry Ford when he was 93 years old what the secret of his success was. He said, ‘I never stand up when I can sit down and I never sit up when I can lie down’.

"This article first appeared in Tata Review (January 2002)