[anmol2k4]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

BHPians
We have come across ‘n’ number of threads where BHPians feel that TATA should have left out the indica tag for the vista and the indigo tag for the manza. The most common argument is that the indica name is immediately connected to the taxi market and everyone seems to remember the problems the initial indica had. These seem to be the reasons why a lot of private buyers are shying away from it (atleast on t-bhp).
I’m sure TATA themselves would have had a number of discussions on this very topic.

I feel that for a lot of people the indica name actually means a lot, especially outside the cities. In these areas the cars are continuously running, where owners don’t believe in regular maintenance and the indica has built a name for itself as being a rugged car that can take quite a lot of abuse. Case in point will be a thread running on this very forum http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...heir-cars.html

Looking at it from TATA’s point of view, I would say the indica holds lot of emotional value to them as it was the first proper car they built. If the vista had been named just TATA Vista, the Indica name would have died a slow death, which I’m sure TATA is not ready for. The same applies to the indigo. BHPians please share your views on this

Tarun bhai you have answered yourself. But keep in mind that neither the current generation nor the past generation Indica/go were a failure. Both vehicles are selling very well, and the reason why Tata have managed to overtake Hyundai to become 2'nd largest auto company by domestic sales.

Also, this time around Tata have tried to deter the Taxi market from purchasing the current generation Indica/go, therefore the bulk of the buyers are not taxi-wallas. And the so called taxi-image didn't deter these people from making the purchase.

The reason for them sticking with the Indica/go brand is because they are brand building which takes time. Brand pays in the long run, it is due to poor band image that some people overlook Indica/go and the very same people often opt for vehicles(with stronger brand) which might be used as a taxi outside of India.

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by anmol2k4

Tarun bhai you have answered yourself. But keep in mind that neither the current generation nor the past generation Indica/go were a failure. Both vehicles are selling very well, and the reason why Tata have managed to overtake Hyundai to become 2'nd largest auto company by domestic sales.

Also, this time around Tata have tried to deter the Taxi market from purchasing the current generation Indica/go, therefore the bulk of the buyers are not taxi-wallas. And the so called taxi-image didn't deter these people from making the purchase.

The reason for them sticking with the Indica/go brand is because they are brand building which takes time. Brand pays in the long run, it is due to poor band image that some people overlook Indica/go and the very same people often opt for vehicles(with stronger brand) which might be used as a taxi outside of India.

As in all cases there are two sides to it. The good and bad (or the not so good !) I came across another thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ft-diesel.html The reasons given there were also the same (Taxi image,etc etc...) I started this thread to see what BHPians think about this. I know most will say TATA should have not included the Indica/Indigo tags but then what about the Indica name. It has lot of history after all.

Lets say you (whoever is reading this) were given the decision to retain the Indica/go name. What would you have done? Remember the indica means a lot to the company so it cannot be removed just like that !

[vikrantj]

I firmly believe in one thing even if you call sheep , a lion , it does not start to roar .

With the same analogy even if they had called Indica Vista as simply Vista and Indigo Manza as simply Manza , they would have got the same response as they would have got now. Name simply does not matter in a Tata car.

So Tata did not have to bother keeping the older Indica/Indigo tags on the new cars.

--Vikrant

[theMAG]

They sure did - not only by sharing nomenclature but also overall design. There was a similar discussion quite a while ago after the Vista was launched. You dont go around carrying forward baggage associated with a cab image into the company's most crucial new car; a crucial new car that that is completely different from the ground-up from its aging ancestor.

[Live To Jive]

I don't think TATA has made a mistake. The Indica & Indigo are successful products. Maybe people on this and other forums think of them as taxis but there are many other buyers. In fact a lot of people on this forum too are extremely satisfied customers of these two cars. Just in case they had named the car(hatch) just Vista, the sedan would have to be called Visto (like Indica & Indigo, Vista & Visto). But the name Visto is already used by Kia. Using Vista & Manza would not indicate that the cars are on the same platform.

[rjalihal]

Well, the Vista and Manza are developed from their predecessors. So calling them Indica and Indigo respectively is the logical approach. They could have however, done brand differentiating in order to change customer perception. But i seriously doubt if that would have made a big difference in sales.

[Cartman]

Take Maruti's Zen saga for example. The Estilo [first gen (F10D engine)] is nowhere close to the legendary jelly-bean. Still, the "Zen" tag drew people towards the car. Well, that is the positive part. On the downside, people came out thoroughly disappointed with the car in comparison to the old Zen. The name "Zen" is now dying a slow death as the Suzuki calls the new car "Estilo". Maybe Tata didn't want the "Indica" to 'die'.

[kiku007]

Yes, Tata has erred. It has already been discussed here,

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...a-sighhhh.html

Some of my friends just discount the idea of buying the Indica Vista due to the Taxi image.

[anmol2k4]

Both BMW and Tata are successful players, they sell vehicles in large numbers. They stick to nomenclature and to their trademark design and vehicles from both companies can be found to be used as a Taxi.

So why aren't the people questioning BMW's strategy, or the matter of fact any other successful player ?

They are doing this to attract the very same people who you guys think are driven away by this strategy. The image conscious people, who don't care about product itself as much as other peoples opinion and the "image".

One can ridicule their strategy today, but without this no manufacturer can create a brand like Corolla Camry City Polo Beetle Golf etc. Look at the top selling cars of all time, and point out how many were created afresh with completely new design and nomenclature ?

They wan't to have a top selling car, and history tells us that others have done this by sticking with nomenclature and tredemark design.

[safari_lover]

I don't think it is a mistake. They want to keep the brand Indica going, which is fine. After all it's their first proper car and also India's. I would love to see this brand going and growing like, for example, Corolla.

May be they could have named Indigo Manza as just Manza. But then it is still selling good!

May be Tata can bring out another hatchback on the Indica Vista platform which would look and feel different ala Ritz and Swift.

[SchumiFan]

I do not think the name is a problem here but rather the shape of the car resembling the Indica. You may argue that this is a different platform but what people see outside is an Indica with facelift.

The Manza will succeed since the quality of the car has been improved going by the reviews here and doesn't massively resemble the old gen Indigo

[amit V8]

TATA could have named it differently. like in South Africa, the indica base (indica DL/DLE in india) is called B-Line, while the pricier ones are called indica. in this way if they name it differently the indica will sell better alongside the vista.

a similar treatment is required with the manza. just name it manza & indigo CS/LWB for the other models.

[GTO]

Realisation seems to have dawned on Tata. Full page ad in the TOI with this exact line "An all new car that has only one feature in common with the earlier Indica.This very clearly illustrates the problem that Tata is facing with the Vista.

[sidindica]

can anyone explain me what is this drivetech4?

[chennai-indian]

Yes, I saw the ad too but what is drivetech? I tried clicking on the link www.surpriseyourself.in but could not get in. Looks like the server crashed because of overload.