[Aditya]

Tata Motors has confirmed that it will introduce the vehicle in India later this year.

Link to Team-BHP News Article

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Tata Motors has confirmed that it will introduce the vehicle in India later this year.

Link to Team-BHP News Article

Hope they stick to the plan. I am hoping they will retain the same price tag or thereabout so I can afford one when the time comes to replace my Linea.

[i74js]

Trust TML has worked on all the aspects pertaining to the failure of Aria and the product reintroduced as Hexa will come up to the growing expectations of Indian buyers.

Also, I am sure this time around, Tata's will not forget to price it right to ensure that the product generates sufficient interest right from the day of launch.

With whatever automotive sector understanding I have, barring 2 - Indica (Rupee will start buying more) and Nano (Cheapest Car - though I will never like such a tag line for car) could generate interest among buyers.

Don't bash me for Zest - it is a technologically good / sound product; but seriously Indica and Nano were the products for which people actually waited for the launch and paid advance booking. It boomeranged in the case of Nano though.

Hexa ala erstwhile Aria should help Tata's turnaround in India. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

[theexperthand]

I hope they will stick to the promised time line and will not go on postponing the release - a la storm. If they can release it soon and price it well, this should sell much better than Aria.

--Anoop

[vinjosep]

Hope this turns out to be good news for Tata.

If Tata manages to launch Hexa at the right price then they can for sure capture a good amount of the market (don't be greedy at the launch please; you have ample time to do that after you have a good market share; ask Toyota).

The opportunity that is:

• The upcoming Innova for sure will leave a price void, it's already touching 19L in Bangalore with all the bells & whistles.
• There is for sure a market demand for a proper VFM MUV.
• The change in shape is a welcome one which had put off many w.r.t the previous model.
• The ride quality of Aria was very good. A worthy competitor for Innova

The effort that is needed to be a winner:

• Improve the perception about Tata's passenger vehicles & its after sales experience
• Long term reliability should be the buzz word. Improve the quality check process. C'mon, this is a company which has nearly the best technology at hand. Merc used TML's paint shop at some point, not sure if it still does.., that speaks volumes about the quality part. And of course then there is JLR.
• Market the products for the right audience with the right message (learn from el-cheapo Nano propaganda)
• Keep the production version as close to the concept as possible please, we can sure do with such a looker on the roads.
• And please don't skimp on the features to reduce the cost, especially on the safety front.

[turboturtle]

Originally Posted by vinjosep

Hope this turns out to be good news for Tata.

If Tata manages to launch Hexa at the right price then they can for sure capture a good amount of the market (don't be greedy at the launch please; you have ample time to do that after you have a good market share; ask Toyota).

The opportunity that is:

• The upcoming Innova for sure will leave a price void, it's already touching 19L in Bangalore with all the bells & whistles.
• There is for sure a market demand for a proper VFM MUV.
• The change in shape is a welcome one which had put off many w.r.t the previous model.
• The ride quality of Aria was very good. A worthy competitor for Innova

The effort that is needed to be a winner:

• Improve the perception about Tata's passenger vehicles & its after sales experience
• Long term reliability should be the buzz word. Improve the quality check process. C'mon, this is a company which has nearly the best technology at hand. Merc used TML's paint shop at some point, not sure if it still does.., that speaks volumes about the quality part. And of course then there is JLR.
• Market the products for the right audience with the right message (learn from el-cheapo Nano propaganda)
• Keep the production version as close to the concept as possible please, we can sure do with such a looker on the roads.
• And please don't skimp on the features to reduce the cost, especially on the safety front.

+1 to this. Tata's looking brighter in terms of the tech that they are using now-a-days. Perhaps it's due to the partners (J&LR). I am more concerned on the safety front - the complete list is actually pretty long ( ESP, LED ambient interior lighting, six airbags, automatic headlamps, daytime running lights and rain-sensing wipers). Here's to hoping there won't be any of these features missing in the production model.

[miharbe]

Tata has an excellent opportunity to taken on the XUV 5OO, Duster (top-end versions) and also the upcoming ix25 from Hyundai (to a certain extent at the lower end) and Innova (though Innova is a totally different purpose vehicle) provided they do a few simple things:

• Retain the styling from the concept
• Provide ample of safety features such as 6 or more Airbags
• Have an awesome sounding Touch Screen Entertainment System from Harman (not the crappy looking one from the Storme)
• Keep the power output higher than the Storme (what is expected 150bhp and 400nm torque)
• Automatic Transmission with both 4x2 and 4x4 versions across variants
• Ride quality similar to current Storme / Aria
• Sunroof
• Promise of a premium service experience something on the lines of "Purple Club" by Mahindra
• 5 year Warranty as standard (shows belief in their own product)
• Price it bang against the XUV 5OO variant for variant (Mahindra sure knows their pricing very well)

Hope the "Product Gurus" at TATA appreciate that these are basic requirements from a premium vehicle and shouldn't be too tough to achieve. I for one wouldn't mind putting my faith in TATA if they actually gave me all this.

[Steeroid]

Price it right, TML. And don't goof up on the features.

We all know the vehicle itself was Innova-ready - just don't mess it up one more time because that would mean goodbye to this segment.

[hubolt]

Like the zest and bolt look like a vista, this hexa looks basically like an aria, even the dash looks stale, they can try all they want, this will bomb, can they leave their past behind and think anew

[Latheesh]

I do not see any issue with Hexa dash, and even Aria top varaint dash looks clean and well laid out. Overall profile may look like Aria, but if priced right it can easily sell 1.5-2K units, 3K units with any other brand logo :-)

Base variant with dual airbags + ABS under 10L ex-showroom, anyone listening at TATA?

Here is the picture of the Hexa dashboard, what problem you see in it?

[jaysmokesleaves]

If TML thinks they will price the Hexa at a premium and succeed they will surely ensure the last nail in their coffin.
A Tata car is not a JLR. Tata is nothing more than a mass market brand in India as far as product recall goes. So if they do make a nice car, they should stop thinking that they have made a luxury/premium car.
Acceptability for most TML products has gone down and that reflects in their sales chart.
The only thing that will work for them is if they can manage to undercut the XUV by 1 lakh rupees on the Hexa pricing.
First let customers buy your cars. Let people see them on the road. Let the customer feel worth investing his 1 million in your vehicle. let acceptability of your brand and products increase.
The stupid MBA buffoons who run the marketing at Tata need to learn grassroots business sense. I wonder why they get paid fat salaries for not having any brains and their inability to read and understand the market sentiment.
Do you even have any idea what stupidity the (most expensive vehicle in your stable)Storme owner has to put up with at your service centers!!

I read somewhere -
A fool(TML), though he stays in the company of the wise(Mahindra, Hyundai, Maruti) learns nothing of the true doctrine; just like the spoon does not taste, the flavour of the soup!

[wheeledsoul]

Originally Posted by hubolt

Like the zest and bolt look like a vista, this hexa looks basically like an aria, even the dash looks stale, they can try all they want, this will bomb, can they leave their past behind and think anew

Irony! Can't you?

Nostradamus is long dead, so is Octopus Paul. Now who predicted that? Oh wait, it's the ATB (Anti TATA brigade).

[apachelongbow]

So we want a Hexa, with ABS, EBD, all wheel drive, automatic gear box, Harman or some other high end gazillion speaker audio system, touch screen entertainment, automatic climate control, automatic wipers, automatic headlamps, at least 160 bhp and 400 nm torque, with 7 seater seating, a humungous boot and all this at a price of <10 lacs ex showroom, because then 'I' who can afford this, 'may' consider a 'Tata vehicle'
Seriously???? and this coming from 'auto enthusiasts' reading and writing on what may be India's most serious auto forum....

[wheeledsoul]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

So we want a Hexa, with ABS, EBD, all wheel drive, automatic gear box, Harman or some other high end gazillion speaker audio system, touch screen entertainment, automatic climate control, automatic wipers, automatic headlamps, at least 160 bhp and 400 nm torque, with 7 seater seating, a humungous boot and all this at a price of <10 lacs ex showroom, because then 'I' who can afford this, 'may' consider a 'Tata vehicle'
Seriously???? and this coming from 'auto enthusiasts' reading and writing on what may be India's most serious auto forum....

Price it (top end) @ 13.99 - 14.99 to kill the XUV and Innova in one go, including the Innova next gen. They can even attract a few Duster/Terrano customers too. Safari will still retain the aspirational value and will not be affected by it.

The sub 10L (9.99L) was the bare bones model with ABS, EBD, dual airbags, and a humble ICE. Now I guess it isn't like asking for the moon.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by wheeledsoul

Price it (top end) @ 13.99 - 14.99 to kill the XUV and Innova in one go, including the Innova next gen. They can even attract a few Duster/Terrano customers too. Safari will still retain the aspirational value and will not be affected by it.

The sub 10L (9.99L) was the bare bones model with ABS, EBD, dual airbags, and a humble ICE. Now I guess it isn't like asking for the moon.

That is a traditional way of pricing and thinking, Tata has tried it, and not succeeded in the Zest and the Bolt. The reason is when they launched the Aria at that 18 lakh odd price, people did queue up to buy it, however for the premium pricing buyers expected premium quality and premium service, both of which Tata lacked. Now the situation is so bad, that even with premium quality, acceptable service and undercut pricing people are simply not buying the Zest or Bolt, because of the Tata batch.

What Tata must try is to succeed in making a no frills version of the Hexa. Build it strong, build it well, no niggles, no lack of QC, provide efficient service, and price this version competitively. Then proceed the bike makers way and start providing all the accessories in house as addons. So the great sound system, the touch screen, cruise control etc can be added/enabled as modules when the customer pays for it. Let the basic version have airbags, abs and ebd, may be a choice of 4x2 and 4x4.
When people find out that the car is reliable, service is good, they may not mind buying addons, and subsequently increase profits for Tata.