Tata's Safety Bubble Keeps New Cars Coronavirus-Free Until Delivery

It's no surprise that the Coronavirus pandemic has changed life as we know it for the foreseeable future. While many of us are staying at home, businesses still have bills to pay, and in this case, cars to sell. In keeping everyone safe, Tata Motors will now keep customer cars in plastic safety bubbles to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 from employee to customer.

Apart from the pandemic taking center stage at the beginning of 2020, the Indian automaker had a very busy first quarter. Many of its vehicles including the Tiago, Tigor, and Nexon received facelifts, and the brand also launched the new Altroz and Nexon EV. With demand booming amidst the pandemic, they needed to find a solution to keep selling vehicles safely.

As such, Tata had already set up a program to thoroughly sanitize its vehicles before delivering them to customers. However, as of late November, they've added another layer of protection, encasing new vehicles in a plastic safety bubble to reduce physical contact before customers arrive at the dealership to pick up their new car.

Along with its new automotive PPE concept, the company intends to release the new Gravitas SUV, a derivative of the Harrier with two extra seats. However, due to the surging number of cases and supply-chain disruptions, the new vehicle's debut has been delayed to early 2021. The Indian automaker has also teased the Altroz turbo-petrol and HBX micro-SUV, but we'd wager they will be delayed as well.

Regardless of when we can return to normal, it's great to see ingenious ideas like these to ensure we get there. While the safety bubble has been used before in the classic car industry, it's terrific to see it repurposed as a virus barrier.