8216;Coming up with small car is social responsibility8217;

Kanth said that the launch of the car cannot be deferred or stopped due to lack of infrastructure.

8220;Infrastructure woes are being taken care of by the government. Both infrastructure development and launch of the small car have to be done in a parallel way,8221; he said.

On why the company wanted to launch the small car, he said, 8220;because people want to have a small car8221;.

Tata Motors, which is bidding for Land Rover and Jaguar, is bullish about the UK auto market. The capability of auto brands in UK are high, Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata said at the conference.

The Indian auto industry is plagued with high interest rates and invariably high input cost, with an appreciating rupee adding to the woes.

8220;Higher interest rates are affecting the consumption. Strengthening of the rupee is affecting the exports. We cannot withdraw our capital expenditure because they are committed. The industry is affected because of the huge input costs in the last few years,8221; Ravi Kanth said.

Apart from these drawbacks, rise in metal prices have had a debilitating effect on the sector.

8220;So, it is an extremely challenging situation for the auto industry,8221; he said.

The industry can tackle these problems internally by launching new products and marketing aggressively, he said.

To a query on price cuts or discounts for the festival season, Ravi Kanth declined to comment.