[pgsagar]

I think it is better if Tata stops making cars. Because no matter how much they improve, some people's perceptions will not change. If some of the above posts are any indication, it appears we are more interested in making fun of Tata cars. One guy says it fell apart after 90K KMs. His post is not as much complaining as it is about making fun.

How come you guys do not make fun of those Rs.1 crore German cars breaking down on perfectly smooth roads, without warning? Tata cars at least do not leave you stranded. I think it is OK if 1 crore car troubles us. But it is not ok if a 5 lakh car does. Indians are the biggest critics of Indian goods. That is how things run in this country.

[i.1979]

well said PGSAGAR. as a tata product user i totally agree what ACM said.
tata should stop naming their new vehicles with the name of old products. give them different name and treat as entirely different models.

[directinjection]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

I think it is better if Tata stops making cars. Because no matter how much they improve, some people's perceptions will not change.

Once upon a time even the Japanese were known as junk merchants.

[Mad Max]

I think Tata lost a great opportunity to cross-sell some of their product features (at the least). Think VW / Skoda. They scream about German Engineering etc. We all know the level of "German engineering" in Mexico. While the fact remains that "german engineering" isn't really the core of the VW/Skoda, the way they positioned it really gains the confidence of a first time car-buyer. He/she thinks "oh..cool.. I am getting something with a lot of BMW / Merc like internals". And that perception helps in sales.

Its time Tata leveraged some of the brand equity from JLR into their domestic products. Think "Refined for Luxury - A sedan with the back-seat comfort of a Jag" or "Go wherever - The new Aria with a Landrover suspension". Yes, I am making things up but you get the picture. Even simpler would be to give the customers some options on Jag like interior leather "hand-stitched". Its a gimmick for sure, but it creates a comparison mindset for someone who's a first time car buyer of even an aspirational shopper. Even FIAT does this "oohh...Ferrari like front end" (not to mention the slightly mentally impoverished owners who replace FIAT with Ferrari badges on their Puntos / Palios)

Another idea that was mentioned here - segregate the private and commercial segments completely. No private car owner would like to fight it out at the service counter with a bunch of taxi drivers shoving their papers. That one differentiator will go a long way in building a better perception of Tata Motors.

And finally, please educate the Sales guys / gals on the simple things of life - what is a turbo? Why is the Vista better and in what areas? "saarr.. bigggggg...car.. so 30k more" really doesn't help. (works for Nissan, I guess! )

[Nilesh5417]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

I think Tata lost a great opportunity to cross-sell some of their product features (at the least). Think VW / Skoda. They scream about German Engineering etc. We all know the level of "German engineering" in Mexico. While the fact remains that "german engineering" isn't really the core of the VW/Skoda, the way they positioned it really gains the confidence of a first time car-buyer. He/she thinks "oh..cool.. I am getting something with a lot of BMW / Merc like internals". And that perception helps in sales.

Its time Tata leveraged some of the brand equity from JLR into their domestic products. Think "Refined for Luxury - A sedan with the back-seat comfort of a Jag" or "Go wherever - The new Aria with a Landrover suspension". Yes, I am making things up but you get the picture. Even simpler would be to give the customers some options on Jag like interior leather "hand-stitched". Its a gimmick for sure, but it creates a comparison mindset for someone who's a first time car buyer of even an aspirational shopper. Even FIAT does this "oohh...Ferrari like front end" (not to mention the slightly mentally impoverished owners who replace FIAT with Ferrari badges on their Puntos / Palios)

Makes sense to me! And what you just called gimmick isn't a gimmick if you truly can provide that kind of options. This is exactly what Karl Slym should look at doing - leverage the JLR heritage.

[Equus]

Even with price cuts, would I buy? NO way..

One simple piece of advice - dont treat customers as cabbies!
Fit and finish is my only major gripe.. Unless they fix that, i wont buy a Tata car even if its half the price of competition.

#2 grip - image problems.
Though they have come a long way with Vista/Manza, not sure how many would like to be seen in a Tata car (not talking about SUVs, but cars).. This problem will be atleast 50% automatically fixed if they take care of #1..

[apachelongbow]

I think now is the time for Tata Motors to completely rebrand themselves. Its time to move up the value chain and start making higher end cars, keeping Safari Storme and Aria as their entry level offerings. No point in fighting over the ever crowded cheap car segment where a chinese double screened audio, voice alert system or tyre pressure monitoring gets sales.

Tata should get their quality act right (they are moving in the right direction with the Storme), and launch product offerings in the space upwards of 12-15 lacs.

Nano was a good launch to showcase engineering capabilities and instead of selling cheap Nanos to Indian scooterists, they must refine it further and compete against the Smart car in international markets.

India is a peculiar market. People here expect world class quality, performance at Chinese prices. So losing name due quality issues, its almost impossible to make a come back, because people stop trusting you and if you drop prices, they think, yes since you are a cheap car maker, making shoddy products, hence you price them cheap, so its a catch 22 situation.

[safari_lover]

The price cut is 29K for the hatchbacks, except Nano and 50K for the sedans, Manza and Indigo effective Saturday, according to this report on WSJ.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...720018728.html

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by directinjection

Once upon a time even the Japanese were known as junk merchants.

May be, but not by Japanese at least. Americans ridiculed early Toyotas but not the Japanese. Unlike us, they take pride in their home grown products. If we do not respet our own cars, who will.

Agreed, Tata cars are not as good as Japanese. But they have improved a lot over the years. If someone has jaundiced vision and refuses to see the changes, it is not Tata cars' fault. I am not a fan of Tata cars either. Never owned one. But at least I do not ridicule them like other "car enthusiasts" here. If you do not like, do not buy it. It is not like Tata is forcing you to buy it.

[directinjection]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

I am not a fan of Tata cars either. Never owned one. But at least I do not ridicule them like other "car enthusiasts" here.

Neither do I.

Tata deserves full praise for having the courage to do what most other Indian manufacturers were too afraid to attempt. Tata could have easily license-produced a phased out foreign car but chose to make its own in spite of zero experience in car making. Every successive model has been an improvement over the earlier one. I sincerely hope the company comes out of the woods soon!

[amitayu]

my father bought a petrol Indica V2, one of the oddest choices, way back in 2004. i had a lot of grudges over his choice back then.
However, almost 10 years down the line, with almost zero maintenance (the car is more of a showpiece in the parking lot nowadays), it never fails to start up and run!! the car is actually build like a tank, and can take hell lot of abuse!!

Only recently, while sitting behind the wheels, I realised even then the car had internally operated rear view mirrors (maruti still does not give it except on higher end models), an inboard digital clock (it was an attraction back then) and such small goodies!
No one can accuse the Tata's for not trying to build a good product. They may have missed out on some opportunities, but certainly deserve praise for trying hard.

[svdath]

Originally Posted by amitayu

No one can accuse the Tata's for not trying to build a good product. They may have missed out on some opportunities, but certainly deserve praise for trying hard.

I completely agree. There might have been instances where TATA has let go of opportunities. I see that people want to just keep continuing with TATA bashing turning a blind eye to the attempt they are making towards building a competitive and a customer satisfaction driven model.

I dont see similar reaction when Toyota or Volkswagon or a Maruthi does a recall of their vehicles.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by directinjection

Once upon a time even the Japanese were known as junk merchants.

1989 = Hyundai was still making junk (e.g. Excel, their rubbish economy car).

1999 = Making cars nearly as good in quality & reliability as the Japanese (e.g. Santro, Accent).

2009 = Easily meets (and even exceeds) the quality of the Japanese (compare interiors of i20 to Swift, or Verna to City).

In 10 years, Hyundai was on par. In another 20, they've excelled. How much more time does Tata Motors need? It's 16 years up already.

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Unlike us, they take pride in their home grown products. If we do not respet our own cars, who will.

If the "Americans" respected their home grown cars as much as you say they do, GM & Chrysler wouldn't have gone bankrupt, and neither would Ford have had to mortgage its brand & every building it owned to save itself.

If any particular brand's cars want respect, they are going to have to EARN it. That's the free market rule.

Agreed, Tata cars are not as good as Japanese.

Now, if the Japanese are available at a similar price, why would the customer settle for something "not as good"?

If someone has jaundiced vision and refuses to see the changes, it is not Tata cars' fault. I am not a fan of Tata cars either. Never owned one.

Perhaps, you should spare a ear for those who have then. I have owned a Tata car for 4 years, and my brother did for 7. There are just too many things wrong with the experience for either of us to consider a Tata again.

For the record, the Indigo is the only car I've sold within 4 years of ownership.

I'm willing to give Tata a chance, but they are going to have to....you guessed it, EARN it.

If you do not like, do not buy it. It is not like Tata is forcing you to buy it.

Request : Please refrain from making such ridiculous statements. This is a KNOWLEDGE forum. Nothing to stop us from sharing our opinion on brands or cars, irrespective of whether we like them or not.

[drmohitg]

Tata suffers because of its lack of quality and the Image it has earned over the years. The quality part can be addressed only by them by sorting things out. As far as the image is concerned why can't they rather let the name Tata stick to commercial and Taxi cars. And launch there private passenger vehicles under a different name altogether? Something like the Toyota/Lexus or Nissan/Infinity thing.

[Nilesh5417]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Tata suffers because of its lack of quality and the Image it has earned over the years. The quality part can be addressed only by them by sorting things out. As far as the image is concerned why can't they rather let the name Tata stick to commercial and Taxi cars. And launch there private passenger vehicles under a different name altogether? Something like the Toyota/Lexus or Nissan/Infinity thing.

I would rather give the Nissan/Datsun example if you don't mind. Forget the lexus/infinity brands, if Tata's manage the respect that Nissan/Toyota brands command in terms of quality, they have taken a huge step forward!