We caught up with Martin Uhlarik, Global Head of Design at Tata Motors, to talk to him, about the intricacies in the company’s latest showstoppers revealed at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025
Ever since Martin Uhlarik took over as Global Head of Design at Tata Motors in 2021, there has been a clear shift in what a modern Tata design looks like with a particular focus on being bold. That philosophy was in evidence at the recent Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, with the Sierra, Avinya X, and Harrier.ev being the showstoppers. We talked to Uhlarik to get to know more about the company’s new models and what to expect in the future.
The Tata Sierra now looks production-ready. Could you take us through the processes that led to this design from the concept?
To be honest, they’re not much different. If you put the concept that you saw two years ago and this one, which is the production car, next to each other, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference other than the fact that the front end on this one is the ICE [internal combustion engine] front end. So, the bumper is different, but the rest of the car is exactly the same. As for the process, it’s not much different from how we developed the concept car. We wanted to revive the Sierra, make something that’s very modern, very progressive, forward-looking, high-tech, and very high quality. So, a lot of the design elements were about minimizing sharp lines and minimizing complexity, making it as flush and smooth as possible, and then just making it recognisably a Sierra.
The Avinya Prototype seems to lean more towards a sport utility vehicle (SUV) body-style as compared to the radical wagon-like look earlier. Is this a step closer to what we’ll see in the production model?
First of all, the concept you saw two years ago, was the manifesto of what Avinya is in terms of design language and what we’re trying to achieve, and that car we are working on in production, the first model. This is the second model in the portfolio. So, Avinya will become a brand; it’ll have multiple products in it. We haven’t revealed the names of the individual models, but the second model is going to be a full-scale flagship SUV and that’s Avinya X.
Given the number of prototypes showcased, how many of them will make it to production?
All of them. We showed the concept two years ago and this year, we delivered pretty much exactly the Sierra that we promised. Even our management, when they saw it or when they came to the design studio, they couldn’t tell the difference: which one is the concept and which one the production model. I’ve had instances when (I won’t name names) but someone in the management said, ‘Oh, this is the car and I thought that’s the concept car’. Then they see the production and they think that’s the concept. And this one is already on the platform to the dimensions for the production car. So, I have seen no reason why this actually can’t be on the road. To be honest, we’re getting to the point where we’re probably going to stop calling them concepts because the design department and the capability of the team is so high that they can deliver basically the vision very well. I think what we do is we just release the car and that’s it.
What are the challenges that you face while trying to give electric vehicles (EV) and ICE cars their unique identity?
People ask that a lot. To be honest, I’m pretty agnostic to powertrains. For me, a powertrain is no different than the colour choice, so I know that we make a visually different front end. Most of the time our differentiation is between the grille, the front end. So, even if you look at the Tiago.ev and Tiago ICE, the EV front ends don’t need the cooling. So, from just a pure practical point of view, we usually make them flush with more body colour and the ICE grilles have more black, more cooling intakes. But, to be honest, as we go forward, my emphasis or the design department’s emphasis is more on the brand and the powertrain is a choice. If you come to a dealership, you’re going to buy a Sierra first and then you’re going to decide, oh, I’d like an electric one or a petrol one; eventually, you know, maybe a diesel, maybe a CNG. And you could say that with any name-plate. So, for me the powertrain is a detail.
Would you have liked to add something to the Avinya or Sierra that regulations or cost considerations may have prevented?
No, because we won every battle. Everything we wanted, we got in the car.
Any chance of us getting some of that bold Tata design philosophy in a smaller car, such as the Tiago or the Altroz?
Yeah, you will. Give us a while, but we are working on something specifically what you mentioned. So, we will be offering something very good.