Team-BHP - Rumour: Ford in talks with Tata for a possible JV

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Originally Posted by Mad Max (Post 5729200)

I somehow suspect Geely is doing something in the background to get into Indian market. They might just buy out the patents etc. from Ford at a crazy amount and redirect it through a JV in India. With BYD in now, Geely must be feeling there's a chance the government will allow them as well. It's all my own hypothesis at the moment.

Well Geely is already here one way or another. Upcoming Volvo EX30 and EX90 use Geely's SEA platform. Also Volvo is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group.

This is the perfect time for Ford to reenter the market
It had matured a lot. Cars in the 20-30L price bracket are being accepted more by people and that is somewhere Ford can easily play around. They no longer need to try and get a big pie of the extremely cost competitive sub 10L price segmet.

While we keep salivating at the prospect of Ford coming back, I'm sure not every thing meets the eye.

1. Hybrid JV might make sense to Tata - since they have an empty hybrid portfolio. Banking only on EVs as a future tech may be risky.

2 it's a huge decision to restart. Surely the exit decision wasn't taken in haste. Flip flop doesn't send confidence in the market. They'll have to pick up the pieces.

3 BHPians may be gungho. However the car enthusiast constitutes a minority segment. Question is will indian consumers overlook the exit and loosen their purse strings.

Only time will tell.

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Originally Posted by DivyanshuDiv (Post 5729175)

Everything looks good except the collaboration with Tata Motors.

Are you insinuating Tata is a risky option. Care to elaborate?

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Originally Posted by JithinR (Post 5729671)

Really hope that is some fake news and the Ford mangement has enough sense to not tie up with a company like TATA motors. Their ownership experiences, product quality etc. are poles apart and I can't think of anything (other than the Ford's old plant) that Ford would get out of this relationship.

True that and the customer experience and service is poles apart from Tata. Ford is better off as an independent entity. They just need hardcore car guys to run their leadership and not some bean counter who does not know the legacy of Ford. They did a mistake with M&M and I hope they will not repeat the same mistake.

Why so much insinuation against Tata? If memory serves me right, Mercedes entered India with using Tata facilities as a CKD all their car's were painted in Tata plants, just to name a few.clap:

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Originally Posted by INDIAFIRST (Post 5729842)

1. Hybrid JV might make sense to Tata - since they have an empty hybrid portfolio. Banking only on EVs as a future tech may be risky.

I Don't think that they don't have access to Hybrid technologies. JLR cars do come with hybrid technology and they can source the tech from their bigger brother. They have already planned to collaborate for EV tech for bigger EVs. This can be another step forward.

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Originally Posted by Vinod_nair (Post 5729852)

Why so much insinuation against Tata? If memory serves me right, Mercedes entered India with using Tata facilities as a CKD all their car's were painted in Tata plants, just to name a few.clap:

Indeed. Tata Telco Mercedes is an old old collaboration and definitely worthy of respect.

(I took these photos at the Mercedes Benz Museum, Stuttgart, in September 2023.)

I see no reason why Ford cannot leverage Tata. But they will have to bring in their own strong processes so as to ensure consistency in production quality.

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Originally Posted by shankar.balan (Post 5729868)

Balan Sir, This is so reassuring, I remember as a young Sales Executive selling Surgical Instruments and Medical Equipment, I would visit every month their Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur, and had the opportunity to visit the plants, which were so organised and spic and span.

Let me tell you a travia: Jamshedpur is the only city in the world, which doesn't have a municipality, everything is maintained by Tata.

My maternal grandfather has been treated at Tata Cancer Institute in the '70.

Tata is a highly respected Indian company.

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Originally Posted by Vinod_nair (Post 5729871)

Tata is a highly respected Indian company.

Indeed they are a respected Company.

The thing that we should also keep in mind is that their own Tata Motors vehicles, despite having been making passenger vehicles for 25 years, are still to reach that ‘level’ of ‘predictable and sustained quality, proficiency and fit, finish, finesse’ etc.

They still need to hone their competencies keenly, in order to achieve the above. Thats why, though Ford can very well choose them as their partner, they will still have to enforce a lot of the proven processes so as to achieve that essential ‘predictable experience’ for consumers, with the vehicles thst they together produce.

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Originally Posted by DivyanshuDiv (Post 5729175)

Everything looks good except the collaboration with Tata Motors.

Let's not forget that Ford came to India in the 90s collaborating Mahindra - whose most luxurious offering those days was the Armada!

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Originally Posted by shankar.balan (Post 5729917)

Indeed they are a respected Company.

They still need to hone their competencies keenly, in order to achieve the above.

Points taken, but we must remember Tata bought JLR from Ford which was in deep RED, and turned it around in a few years in a healthy GREEN.

This could be a factor for Ford to back TATA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinod_nair (Post 5729852)

Why so much insinuation against Tata? If memory serves me right, Mercedes entered India with using Tata facilities as a CKD all their car's were painted in Tata plants, just to name a few.clap:

True, in fact even the first truck was a Merc. Even the humble 407 has a Merc derived engine.

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Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe (Post 5729920)

Let's not forget that Ford came to India in the 90s collaborating Mahindra - whose most luxurious offering those days was the Armada!

Correct, and Mahindra bought international companies like Pinifernera, Ssangyong, Maini Reva, Jawa, and see how beautifully they pulled them down to near extinction :Frustrati