[CARDEEP]

Poor timing ... Tata Bolt caught testing Pune (courtesy Motoroids):

[akshay87kumar]

Originally Posted by JagMan

What tata should do IMO is create a value oriented subsidiary perhaps under JLR and transfer the premium passenger vehicles business to them and let tata concentrate on the commercial vehicle and taxi segment.

By placing the subsidiary under JLR they could also disassociate the brand from the negative connotations associated with TATAs taxi image.

JLR will be too premium a brand to be diluted with regular passenger car offerings. No scope of parts sharing across the two segments, though there might be some cross learning. It will only take down the image of the profit making JLR.
After sales is one division which Tata needs to rake up. A dedicated lane offering premium car servics, and a separate one for commercial vehicles (including the indica cabs, etc) is all that can possibly help sort out the current issue.

[aditya79india]

Did someone notice that with all the giz-bang wizardry of the Harman sound system, CD player is missing , a-la-the previous Honda City. Might be OK with the Gen-NX, but a turnoff for old fashioned guys like me...

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by aditya79india

Did someone notice that with all the giz-bang wizardry of the Harman sound system, CD player is missing , a-la-the previous Honda City. Might be OK with the Gen-NX, but a turnoff for old fashioned guys like me...

Good catch, that Aditya79. I could imagine that we still buy CDs but we probably aren't burning/making CDs anymore. A provision for SD card would do well for those who use a computer for managing their media.

Otherwise, most mobile phones today can hold music and the AV system seems to have both USB and Aux inputs. Should not be a deal breaker, I hope.

A cd slot is a convenience, no doubt. I'd like it as well (but can do without it). Not very Gen-nx myself.

[bigben]

It was more than just unveiling new cars for Tata Motors at the Auto Expo 2014. The Indian manufacturer inked a deal with Samsung Electronics to provide in-car connectivity applications in Tata’s upcoming vehicles.

It is not yet confirmed if the Tata Bolt will see the benefits of this deal, but it would stand to benefit vis-a-vis its competition if it does.

The ‘Drivelink’ offering is based on Samsung’s Drive Link app on the MirrorLink technology. The in-car smartphone technology is designed to offer in-car access to the phone’s features and content, while sticking to safety certifications. This is in line with Tata Motors’ new venture into creating a human-machine interface in its cars.

Acts like listening to music, hands-free calling and navigation from the smartphone will be made easy with this technology, the company said in a press release. The offering will include shortcuts to other useful driving applications also. Currently, Tata Motors uses Fiat’s Blue&Me technology for in-car connectivity.

The Tata Zest seems like a prime candidate for this technology, though Tata Motors hasn’t officially announced anything in this regard.

There will also be an on-board diagnostics tool and vehicle lifecycle management information to provide for an all-round seamlessly connected experience, says the company. Everything from periodic service reminders to car behaviour, like monitoring mileage real-time is on offer.

The company at its stall at the Auto Expo 2014 also displayed next-generation infotainment using tablets for rear-seat passengers.

It is not clear yet if this technology will come in the Tata Bolt and Tata Zest vehicles.

Courtesy IAB
Here is the link-
http://indianautosblog.com/2014/02/t...cs-deal-120204

[JagMan]

Originally Posted by JagMan

I even registered on their website for availing their december scheme for the vista. Its been over 2 months now and there is still no sign of a test drive.

Some one from tata motors called me a few days back asking for feedback about my enquiry and got a sounding about not having received a test drive for so long. Got another call yesterday saying they were auditing all the complaints.

Got another call from a dealer today asking if i want to purchase the car. I wonder if the sarcasm in my rather testy response registered in their brains. They committed to give me a test drive but neglected to ask what time would be convenient.

This is a different dealer to the one that scheduled a test drive earlier and never showed up.



Im seriously considering saying tata to tata... no more fanboy sentiments

[prashanthyr]

Remember the pictures of actors before they became famous and after they became famous? You can vaguely make out its the same person, but the desirability factor is way up post the makeover. This is the same feeling I get seeing the Bolt / Zest and compare it against the Vista.

Great Job by Tata and hope their production and sales departments get the message as well and deliver a superior product and sales experience. Like I've stated before, I think ASS will automatically get better if the number of cars in the service centre as a % of those on the road goes down - better quality from the factory means lesser time spent in the service centre leading to more time for ASS to attend to cars, which in turn will automatically improve the quality / workmanship.

I feel Tata could have done a notch back version of the Zest to give it an USP, rather than try and repeat the indigo CS / Dzire / Amaze formula. Would have cost a little more from an engineering standpoint, but might have liberated a little more boot space?

[gomzi]

Originally Posted by prashanthyr

I feel Tata could have done a notch back version of the Zest to give it an USP, rather than try and repeat the indigo CS / Dzire / Amaze formula. Would have cost a little more from an engineering standpoint, but might have liberated a little more boot space?

Actually even I was wondering a few days back that instead of a "Sedan" with a truncated boot, why don't car manufacturers make notchbacks or even hatch backs with a BIG boot and still fit in the 4M category.

Just imagine a hatch back rather than the stubby boot, so much more space to be had! This could definitely be a different USP and sell in good numbers.

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by gomzi

Actually even I was wondering a few days back that instead of a "Sedan" with a truncated boot, why don't car manufacturers make notchbacks or even hatch backs with a BIG boot and still fit in the 4M category.

Just imagine a hatch back rather than the stubby boot, so much more space to be had! This could definitely be a different USP and sell in good numbers.

Sedan will always outsell hatchback if its in the same price bracket, its all about having a big car(status symbol). We all know what happened to chevrolet SRV, I bet more R8s were sold in India than SRV

[jessie007]

Originally Posted by gomzi

Actually even I was wondering a few days back that instead of a "Sedan" with a truncated boot, why don't car manufacturers make notchbacks or even hatch backs with a BIG boot and still fit in the 4M category.

Just imagine a hatch back rather than the stubby boot, so much more space to be had! This could definitely be a different USP and sell in good numbers.

A good thought - European style large hatch/notch-backs. I also like that idea. But somehow car makers have to target the average Indian's psyche - according to which a sedan is better than a hatchback - it is more of an image factor rather than solely a (boot) space issue.

Though we do have an example of it in the Mahindra Verito Vibe - you can see that it is faring quite poorly sales-wise. Jazz is another example which has a boot greater than 300 litres. Even if a mass-market / popular small car manufacturer like Maruti comes out with such a vehicle, people will still be ready to plonk Rs 40k-70k more and get a (compact) sedan. This is assuming the bigger hatch/notch-back doesn't cost as much as a compact sedan to produce in the first place.

[akshay87kumar]

Fiesta sedan and fiesta hatch sold in the US is a good example of this hatchbaack-notchback-sedan discussion. I was fairly pleased by the looks of the car in its sedan and hatch form.
Yet again, it depends if the market is receptive of the utility of such cars, rather than attributing a larger car with a higher 'status'.
Chevy sail and uva is an example for the Indian market. The duo have failed to take off, but I would personal attribute this to the manufacturer having missed out on some critical elements.

[Motard_Blr]

The styling is all nice, modern and looks quite sporty. I just hope that the driving dynamics of the cars match the looks.

Tata cars have never been known for their sportiness or driving dynamics. They all handle acceptably but are generally dull cars. I don't understand why some car manufacturers sell sporty looking versions of their existing cars but without any changes to the suspension, brakes or engines to match go with show (Maruti, Tata, etc.). For example, sporty suspension would cost almost nothing more than the std. suspension if developed alongside. A sporty exhaust would also not cost more to make. When the cost of development is amortised over tens of thousands of cars, it makes a lot of sense to develop alternate versions from the beginning.

[bigben]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

The styling is all nice, modern and looks quite sporty. I just hope that the driving dynamics of the cars match the looks.

Tata cars have never been known for their sportiness or driving dynamics. They all handle acceptably but are generally dull cars. I don't understand why some car manufacturers sell sporty looking versions of their existing cars but without any changes to the suspension, brakes or engines to match go with show (Maruti, Tata, etc.). For example, sporty suspension would cost almost nothing more than the std. suspension if developed alongside. A sporty exhaust would also not cost more to make. When the cost of development is amortised over tens of thousands of cars, it makes a lot of sense to develop alternate versions from the beginning.

I don't think the factor is cost here. I think it is mostly about target market/ audience. The Indica targets families with 5+ members who would prefer comfort more than anything else.....a softer ride. When you look at many of the Indica's you will see them loaded to the brim with people and that's what it is meant for. Transporting large families in comfort whereas the Swift is mean t for max 4 people and for an audience that would prefer sportiness more than anything else.

Anyway this is what I found online. I hope the handling issue has been sorted out-

" Race-driver Narain Karthikeyan, who steered the Bolt down the ramp, was all praise for the driving and handling characteristics of the two cars."

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by bigben

I don't think the factor is cost here. I think it is mostly about target market/ audience. The Indica targets families with 5+ members who would prefer comfort more than anything else.....a softer ride. When you look at many of the Indica's you will see them loaded to the brim with people and that's what it is meant for. Transporting large families in comfort whereas the Swift is mean t for max 4 people and for an audience that would prefer sportiness more than anything else.

Anyway this is what I found online. I hope the handling issue has been sorted out-

" Race-driver Narain Karthikeyan, who steered the Bolt down the ramp, was all praise for the driving and handling characteristics of the two cars."

You sort of answer your own argument. The Indica was targetted at families while the Swift is targeted at the youth. It really doesn't take much effort or money to make 2 versions of a car: a family oriented one and a sporty one. Some minor differences in styling and different suspension settings makes a world of difference. Take the Micra and the Pulse. They're almost the same car but the Pusle looks distinctly more sporty.

The sporty crowd is a market waiting to be exploited but for some reason nobody's tapped it yet. Any industry insiders who can shed light on this?

[cingsman]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

You sort of answer your own argument. The Indica was targetted at families while the Swift is targeted at the youth. It really doesn't take much effort or money to make 2 versions of a car: a family oriented one and a sporty one. Some minor differences in styling and different suspension settings makes a world of difference. Take the Micra and the Pulse. They're almost the same car but the Pusle looks distinctly more sporty.

The sporty crowd is a market waiting to be exploited but for some reason nobody's tapped it yet. Any industry insiders who can shed light on this?

I am surely not an industry 'insider' as you may define it but here's my take on this situation. Tata vehicles or rather the brand has been known to price their vehicles on the low compared to the MSILs and the Hyundais. So it automatically becomes 'the' option for cost-conscious buyers out there. With that as a background, the cabbie is the most cost conscious buyer we know of and so the Tata vehicles became the 'national cab' so to speak, not to mention the space, cheap spares that Tata vehicles are known for. As to the quintessential family man, space is the USP for him - add to that his / her cost-consciousness, and you know why so many people are seen to be crammed in many Tata vehicles.

Coming to the sporty market question, I wonder if there is a market large enough that wants 'sporty' vehicles but are ready to pay the moolah as well as the high running costs (read: less FE) for the 'sportyness'. Needless to say, in India, the sportiness is expected to come with equallly good FE (equal to the 'family' vehicle variant). So, OEMs want to be at that sweet spot between the two so as to appeal to both the segments without wanting to give too much away. Some vehicles may skew towards the sportier side while the others may veer towards the familial requirements - is my thinking.

My 2 cents