[octane1002]

Funny the statements never came when he was heading MUL.I suppose it wasn't a waste of capital back then or was it that he didn't figure it out then?

While there may be some truth to what he says, I have lost respect for a man who chose an opportume time to make such strong statments.Especially now that it doesn't effect him in any perceivable way.

Very easy to make such statements over coffee coccooned in your air-conditioned cabin.SAD.

[lazybird]

Even though, there is certain truth in his present statement, it isn't practical in a country where owning a car is more of status symbol so difficult to convince people to share their ride.

It could still be reality in near future say in USofA when self drive vehicle becomes reality.

[speedmiester]

It will be a cold day in hell when I give up owning a car.
Since even Earth is heating up due to global warming, I don't see a foreseeable future when hell will be cold.


I am all for alternative fuels, heck I got an electric car even though it didn't fit my needs. But I will never give up owning a car as I can never rely on ride sharing or on demand cabs for safety, reliability and availability factors.


I will sell my current fossil fueled car and buy an electric car the day when they offer me >250KM range on single charge and one that isn't restricted by sub 100KMPH speed limit.

[Sebring]

Jakarta has the worst traffic condition. Then, the cops thought they got a solution and started imposing a fine. Cops actually put a fine if they see one person in the car.

But then people there found a way about. There are these 'jockeys' for hire who you pick up before entering CBD and drop them off with a 'tip' while you exit. The cops see two guys in the car and do nothing about it. So the situation hasn't changed at all. My firm belief is that Mass transport will solve most of our problems but should be smartly designed on the lines of Singapore. There, every apartment has a bus drop off, and pick up to the Metro. The Metro covers the length and breadth of the great city. I can't stress this enough.

[SJM1214]

I do not agree with RC Bhargava's statement. However, shared mobility is an interesting concept for our kind of country wherein Public transport is not that effective. A Morgan Stanely report says that India is expected to be a leader in shared mobility by 2030.

According to the global financial services major, India offers all the right ingredients to be one of the largest shared mobility markets in the world as it has large population clusters, a young demographic that is well connected to the internet and rising real incomes.

The report further noted that large population clusters are the first prerequisite for successful shared mobility. India has 61 cities with populations greater than San Francisco's (850,000 population), and 50 cities with populations of more than 1 million.

However, Shared mobility can not be replaced with Car ownership. Nothing can replace safety, reliability and availability factors of Own car.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Interesting comments from the Chairman of India's largest car maker:
https://auto.economictimes.indiatime...ility/66890639

I think car manufacturers would still win if shared mobility catches on. On average a personal car may rake up a lakh or so kilometers on the odo in 8 years, 10 years? Cabs can hit that figure in 5 years or less. I am assuming he is banking on the fact that cabbies will run up a lot more miles and replace their rides earlier. Thus averaging out the drop in sales from personal cars.

Dropping personal car sales is not a unicorn. It IS the reality. The sooner the car cos adapt the longer will they last. Before the comparisons set in, let me just say, our market is terribly unique. Comparisons with the western/developed markets will only prove futile as we seldom take the same approach w.r.t mobility. While the western markets are still grappling with various implementations of e-vehicles, we have a flood of wildly successful electric shared mobility solution on our streets - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/comme...y-month-5.html (11,000 electric rickshaws are sold in India every month!)

[GTO]

Originally Posted by smartcat

But when individuals buy depreciating assets (smartphone, computer, AC, toilet commode), it is never with an intention of using it all the time. An individual's idea behind purchasing a depreciating asset is 24/7 availability of the asset for personal use at any instant.

And the joy of ownership, the pleasure of driving, status symbol etc. This can be extended to other purchases too. As an example, if it was only about 'utility', the market for premium smartphones costing over Rs. 30,000 would never exist. Today's 15 - 20k phones are really all that one 'needs'.

For the chairman of India's largest car maker, Bhargava has surprisingly missed that cars have been objects of desire since time immemorial. Even for non-car folk as this ad illustrates:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62XjfSDjahQ

That said, yes, I'll be the first to say that shared mobility is hitting car sales hard - related thread.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Makes sense - and in a way, this is the EXACT reason why Uber is hitting car ownership levels hard in cities, specially among the young tech savvy generation.

It doesn't work for everyone. I work at odd times and my workplace is at an 'oddball location' in the urban limits. It is some 1.5-2 km from the nearest bus stop.

I had the misfortune of relying on Uber/Ola for a couple of weeks in-between cars. Here are some of the commute experiences:

1. Multiple drivers cancel rides midway on their approach. One such day, as many as 8 drivers cancelled. A minimum of 1 or 2 atleast cancel rides.
2. Those that take up rides, want to be paid by cash. First few occasions I had set to card/wallet payment and it cannot be changed during the booking.
3. Public transportation? I get a bus based on my karma that day (for which you have to walk the distance mentioned above). One such day, I left at 915 pm from office and reached home at 1115 pm for a home-work distance of 8 km.
4. I cannot plan for time, I've waited anywhere between 20 min to 1 hr to get a ride. So even if I finish a meeting at 830pm and the next is at 1030pm, I cannot be confident I'll reach and take the meeting on time.

PS: This post is ironically written from a Maruti service center waiting for my vehicle to get serviced. Precisely to avoid this taxi circus

[SJM1214]

Originally Posted by octane1002

Funny the statements never came when he was heading MUL.

This RC Bhargava seems well known for his controversial statements. Have a look at one of his ridiculous statement when he was chairman of MSIL.

Bhargava speak

• There’s no linkage in India between road fatalities and unsafe cars
• Unlike in EU countries where 50% road fatalities are inside cars, in India it is only 16%
• There could be a commercial angle in pushing such safety technologies
• Such measures can improve road safety by only 3-4%
• Features like airbags are offered in higher-end cars

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...tatements.html

[notjustshrawan]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

What futuristic India is this fellow living in? Can I get a ticket?

While everything he says is hunky dory on paper, two questions:

1) Can you assure me of quality
2) Can you assure me of safety

If someone can guarantee these two things, I'm more than happy to not go for ownership.

Please include the rising discontentment factor among cabbies, especially Ola, a terrible thing, and traveling in a car piloted by an unhappy operator is inviting all sorts of trouble. More often now they cut through traffic and overspeed to complete their targets, revile about the shortness of the trip (and their shrinking earnings) and maintain their cabs like garbage cans, and its a health and safety issue. If I start applying the logic of shared mobility as a permanent fixture or normal way in my life, I should also think of shared dorms that I go back to after work.

[BeantownThinker]

Well Mr. Bhargava, how many cars do you have at home? Do you dare put your money where your mouth is and sell all those cars and rely on shared mobility? Or is this gyan meant only for the hoi polloi?

Originally Posted by SJM1214

[*]There could be a commercial angle in pushing such safety technologies

Really makes me wonder what commercial angle he has in making a new statement now.

[audioholic]

Perhaps they are cooking up a lease plan directly from the company itself and wants to push buyers towards it which will replace cars at regular intervals like in foreign countries. So people at MS might start making such comments and then "Tadaa, why pay for your car in whole " sort of thing to attract buyers who do not want to take up the complete financial commitment of buying a car and instead, lure them into monthly payments and usage based schemes.

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by narayans80

It doesn't work for everyone. I work at odd times and my workplace is at an 'oddball location' in the urban limits. It is some 1.5-2 km from the nearest bus stop...

It's only a matter of time and technology to sort these things out. As shared ride companies expand and introduce additional services, these problems will slowly disappear.

Originally Posted by audioholic

...So people at MS might start making such comments and then "Tadaa, why pay for your car in whole " sort of thing to attract buyers who do not want to take up the complete financial commitment of buying a car and instead, lure them into monthly payments and usage based schemes.

Not sure if having a lease option is a bad thing. Other than a few higher class manufacturers, there are very few options here. As long as it is cheaper than the EMI payment, it would be a good one to explore.

[landcruiser123]

I don't know what he's trying to convey, but his comments are out of context in Indian conditions. I'm not saying he's completely wrong though. Buying a car is really expensive- whether India or US. But there is a need in India- you're earning money to lead a comfortable life at the end of the day.

Shared mobility can replace personal mobility in the first world countries. It has become more popular in the countries where public transit sucks- example: USA. In the third world, there are still a lot of ironing to do. In India, car rental is not seamless, Ola and Uber are not completely reliable and the less said about public transportation(in cities like Bangalore,) the better. Imagine what you'd do if there's a Bharat bandh and you have a flight to catch that day? This has happened twice to my aunt-while traveling from Bangalore to Chennai and Bangalore to Kolkata.

People who can afford a car will buy a car. Ola and Uber can replace the nth car in the house, not the primary car.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

I don't know what he's trying to convey, but his comments are out of context in Indian conditions. I'm not saying he's completely wrong though. Buying a car is really expensive- whether India or US. But there is a need in India- you're earning money to lead a comfortable life at the end of the day.

Shared mobility can replace personal mobility in the first world countries. It has become more popular in the countries where public transit sucks- example: USA. In the third world, there are still a lot of ironing to do. In India, car rental is not seamless, Ola and Uber are not completely reliable and the less said about public transportation(in cities like Bangalore,) the better. Imagine what you'd do if there's a Bharat bandh and you have a flight to catch that day? This has happened twice to my aunt-while traveling from Bangalore to Chennai and Bangalore to Kolkata.

People who can afford a car will buy a car. Ola and Uber can replace the nth car in the house, not the primary car.

Sums it up perfectly.

Can this post be added to the opening post so we don't RC B's comments?