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		<img align="left" alt="Bolt. Photo: bolt.tatamotors.com" class="imgCont" height="464" src="http://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/img/article/2016-12/13/full/1481613929-2613.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #DDD; margin-right: 10px; padding: 1px; float: left; z-index: 0;" title="Bolt. Photo: bolt.tatamotors.com" width="620" />
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			Bolt. Photo: bolt.tatamotors.comTata Motors is in a change of strategy offering its new crop of passenger cars to taxi fleets.</div>
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			The company had declared in 2014 no new model beginning with the Zest, a compact sedan, would be sold for commercial use. It subsequently turned down requests from buyers running cars for taxi-hailing companies Ola and Uber. The Bolt, launched in January 2015, has, however, been a disappointment for Tata Motors with cumulative sales of under 20,000, less than what Maruti Suzuki&rsquo;s Swift sells in two months.</div>
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			Priced at Rs 4.79 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) the Bolt competes with Maruti Suzuki&rsquo;s Celerio, Hyundai&rsquo;s i10 and Toyota&rsquo;s Etios Liva. The hatchback is on the Zest platform but runs on a new generation of petrol and diesel engines.</div>
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			With a rising demand for taxis and 15-20 per cent discounts offered by Hyundai, Toyota and Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors has decided to promote the sale of the Bolt to taxi aggregators. &ldquo;We are repositioning the Bolt for aggregators and we are finding good traction there. We cannot ignore aggregators,&rdquo; said Mayank Pareek, president, passenger vehicle business unit, Tata Motors.</div>
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			&ldquo;We did not say that we would not sell our cars to aggregators,&rdquo; he added. Old warhorses Indica and Indigo had built Tata Motors&rsquo; reputation among taxi owners. This was one reason other buyers steered clear of Tata cars. &ldquo;The Zest and Tiago will continue to be aimed at the individual buyer, but the Bolt, Indica and Indigo will target aggregators,&rdquo; Pareek added.</div>
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			Once described as a threat to car makers, taxi aggregators are being hailed as their saviours. Ola and Uber have signed purchase orders with car makers worth over Rs 15,000 crore.</div>
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			Car makers have also created separate sales and marketing units to cater to taxi fleets. Ola in September announced a tie-up with Mahindra & Mahindra for 40,000 vehicles over two years.</div>
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The cumulative volumes of the Bolt since its launch in January 2015 has been under 20,000 units

Chasing Ola and Uber: Tata Motors bites the bullet with Bolt

The cumulative volumes of the Bolt since its launch in January 2015 has been under 20,000 units

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