Hello From Tanmay - Team-BHP

tanmay_ambre · 3rd January 2008, 17:43

Hi Guys,

Its great to be a part of this forum. I have been reading quite a few posts of this forum from past one year or so. I really appreciate the posts and your valuable comments.

. I hope we will be able keep up the quality of this forum at the topmost level.

About me:

I am a software architect, who have been brought up on in an environment where cars were integral part. My dad being an automobile engineer and was formerly working with Bajaj Tempo (renamed to Force Motors). I like cars. Infact it was due to this passion that I took up Mechanical Engineering.

What I like about cars is not just speed. Its also their build quality and their behavior on road. What use is a car that is made for drag races and doesnt provide good comfort and road behavior.

I was a die-hard Michael Schumacher fan and till date I swear my loyalty to scarlet. Even though not the fastest car in straight line speed, they had the advantage of state of the art traction control along with trademark reliability.

My personal opinion about Indian car scene is, these manufacturers are not treating us on par with customers in other countries. Imagine a car like Octavia (mostly used as a taxi in continental europe for its efficiency) still being called a "D-Segment" car in India for last 7 years. The european interiors that boost of solid build quality are still available only to premium buyers.

I had a New Honda City in India. I liked that car, though interiors were a turn-off for me. and I also loved its exteriors (from some angles. look at its front from a distance of 10 feet and a height of 10 feet. It looks daunting). I also was able to make it peak at 172kmph on the express way. But interiors were plastic all the time, ABS was missing, steering got vague at high speeds. So now when I return back, I would love to buy a new car. But finding a good VFM is still a big question.

I love studying cars and I dont think of them as objects. For me they are similar to us living beings. And each of them has its own character. I would definitely love to see 2 cars of the same model behaving exactly similar. That's very rare.

Well that's about it. I hope I will be able to learn a lot from you guys.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 3rd January 2008, 20:08

Welcome to team-bhp!

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanmay_ambre

My personal opinion about Indian car scene is, these manufacturers are not treating us on par with customers in other countries. Imagine a car like Octavia (mostly used as a taxi in continental europe for its efficiency) still being called a "D-Segment" car in India for last 7 years. The european interiors that boost of solid build quality are still available only to premium buyers.

The reflects more on our economy rather than the way they treat us!

Mercs are used as Taxi's abroad. Can we complain Merc is treating us differently here?

tanmay_ambre · 3rd January 2008, 20:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Welcome to team-bhp!

The reflects more on our economy rather than the way they treat us!

Mercs are used as Taxi's abroad. Can we complain Merc is treating us differently here?

to some extent I agree that it reflects on our economy. But that image is fast fading. Many buyers are understanding what is being offered and quickly redefining their expectations. Manufacturers seem to be pretty relaxed about this.

Merc though used as Taxi's still maintains its brand value. Still considered a luxury to own. But this doesn't apply to others too well...

Godfather · 3rd January 2008, 20:39

welcome to TBHP.. Thats a nice introduction there..

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Mercs are used as Taxi's abroad. Can we complain Merc is treating us differently here?

well technically speaking Yes!!. a merc C Class in US retails for USD 30,000.. Thats 12 L.. get me a new merc in India with the same options and same price and i will take back my words.

Goddy

3rd January 2008, 17:43	#1 (permalink)
tanmay_ambre BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pune. (currently in Edinburgh) Posts: 75	Hello From Tanmay Hi Guys, Its great to be a part of this forum. I have been reading quite a few posts of this forum from past one year or so. I really appreciate the posts and your valuable comments. . I hope we will be able keep up the quality of this forum at the topmost level. About me: I am a software architect, who have been brought up on in an environment where cars were integral part. My dad being an automobile engineer and was formerly working with Bajaj Tempo (renamed to Force Motors). I like cars. Infact it was due to this passion that I took up Mechanical Engineering. What I like about cars is not just speed. Its also their build quality and their behavior on road. What use is a car that is made for drag races and doesnt provide good comfort and road behavior. I was a die-hard Michael Schumacher fan and till date I swear my loyalty to scarlet. Even though not the fastest car in straight line speed, they had the advantage of state of the art traction control along with trademark reliability. My personal opinion about Indian car scene is, these manufacturers are not treating us on par with customers in other countries. Imagine a car like Octavia (mostly used as a taxi in continental europe for its efficiency) still being called a "D-Segment" car in India for last 7 years. The european interiors that boost of solid build quality are still available only to premium buyers. I had a New Honda City in India. I liked that car, though interiors were a turn-off for me. and I also loved its exteriors (from some angles. look at its front from a distance of 10 feet and a height of 10 feet. It looks daunting). I also was able to make it peak at 172kmph on the express way. But interiors were plastic all the time, ABS was missing, steering got vague at high speeds. So now when I return back, I would love to buy a new car. But finding a good VFM is still a big question. I love studying cars and I dont think of them as objects. For me they are similar to us living beings. And each of them has its own character. I would definitely love to see 2 cars of the same model behaving exactly similar. That's very rare. Well that's about it. I hope I will be able to learn a lot from you guys.