[greenhorn]

tata would really benefit from having a japanese QC team

[SamtheLeo]

I honestly believe that when Mr. Ratan Tata would have thought about a car for Indian middle class household, he would not have thought he is starting a project which is going to impact the global automobile market in such a way!!!!

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

tata would really benefit from having a japanese QC team

I recently visited a Toyota plant during my Trip to US. They have a conducted tour inside the plant. So the guide was explaining, Employees of the plant above certain grade, right now Managers and above, get a vehicle manufactured in the plant for their personal use. There is a petrol bunk and a repair shop inside the plant. They get one full tank of petrol a week free of charge and all the repair if any will be taken care by the repair shop inside the plant. These vehicles are picked randomly ( the person who gets the vehicle dont have any choice, color, model etc). After an year, the same is returned and gets another vehicle. Also they have an employee pricing scheme, Once a year, any employee could buy any model from any Toyota dealer at a discounted price. So most of the employees drive Toyota vehicles. So the employees become more passionate about the vehicles they make.
But look at the parking lot in TM's pune plant. Most of the cars there are made by Maruti.

[vinaydas]

Japan is just taking notice of the hype that is the "Nano" nothing else.
No matter how cheap the car is dont expect it to do mind bogling numbers.

[dhrishikesh]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

tata would really benefit from having a Japanese QC team

I am totally agree with you. It will be a real benefit for Tata Motors as they might get a good sense of quality difference between Japanese & Indian quality along with their much more advanced technology.

[recshenoy]

Originally Posted by highsteem

Mr. Shenoy, would you care to study the history pls? If japanes/americans had such a robust (serious) QC, why would the 4th, 5th generation cars should develop niggles? Why would they have to call back their cars? Please stop this glut emails. If you intend to help tata's why don't you buy as many nanos as possible and help them sort out the issues in their next version of the car. Is it not indica v2 and vista all about?

I am talking about cars to be sold in Japan.

Rather than studying history, i would say I have worked with one of the Japense Auto giant for couple of years, had a look at their QC system and also i know consequences of selling bad quality vehicle in Japan!

So if TATA needs to sell a car in Japan, IMHO it should have a robust quality control team so that qualitywise they are ahead of native Japanese manufacturer. this is what i am trying to convey.

Hope you got it now!

I would rather buy a second hand alto rather than Nano

[shortbread]

@rshenoy

thats a rather smug reply, let me retort

and Id rather be found dead in a second hand one, to u as well.

Now on a more serious note, Tata hasn't displayed the Nano in the Fukoka motor show, they dont have a stall set up, instead its been the the motor show officials who has gone on to get the car there. Tata motors havent even thought of selling cars in Japan.

Granted that Tata have quality issues and you and your japanese co. know the consequences of selling a bad quality vehicle in Japan. Good for you. Ever wondered in the Japs had to make a 1-1.5 lac car what it would end up looking like. They must be wondering themselves, a reason why the Nano is pulling crowds at whatever motor show.

Let me state a few facts here, between 1990 and 2002 the Alto was recalled due to the following faults in Japan,
Fuel system, brake hose, engine cooling system, A/T, gear shift control cable, CVT & Auto transmission.
Even the Swift has been recalled. Heres a link to the Suzukis recalled in Japan and it makes interesting reading
SUZUKI Factory Recalls - Auto Safety - Japanese Vehicle Recalls - The Dog & Lemon Guide

Im pretty sure I've stirred a hornets nest here by taking a shot at Suzuki fans. There is no denying the stellar service millions of Marutis are doing across our country and has been the technology and quality benchmark of India during the dark ages and Japs are perhaps the biggest, most successful and most powerful car makers out there. But one cant deny the fact that even the Japs get it wrong despite being more than half a century in the trade, perhaps your work with the Jap Auto giant and their quality control must've shown you by now.

rshenoy, pretty sure you mustve licked your lips in delight when you saw the media going on about Nano having faults. It shouldnt be the case in a perfect world, but thats not where we are living in.

Now one of the biggest name in the Auto industry VW have decided to make a $2.5k car and have bought into Suzuki to play sidekick, makes you wonder the balls Tata had to go at such a challenge alone and what a great job they have done of it.

[anmol2k4]

Originally Posted by recshenoy

AFAIK Japanese are very particular about quality of product.
You need to sell them some thing which has quality. with current level of QC tata has, TATA can never succeed in Japan.

That too with some electrical faults, fumes reported in couple of Nano's TATA need to do some serious QC.

Toyota to fix 'very dangerous' gas pedal defects -- latimes.com
"26 Nov 2009 ... Toyota recall. The Camry is one of seven Toyota and Lexus
models ... Toyota said the recall affects about 3.86 million vehicles in the
U.S. ..."

Toyota to fix 'very dangerous' gas pedal defects -- latimes.com

Honda adds 440000 cars to recall over airbags - CNN.com
"31 Jul 2009 ... An additional 440000 Honda vehicles are being added to a recall
initially announced in November to repair a potential defect in airbag ..."

Honda adds 440,000 cars to recall over airbags - CNN.com

Suzuki Swift recall - Panorama News - Austrian Times Online News ...
"10 Dec 2009 ... Report on Austrian Times english news online newspaper: Suzuki has issued a recall of 4275 Swift models in Austria next month."

Suzuki Swift recall - Panorama News - Austrian Times Online News - English Newspaper

Mazda recall the 2010 Mazda3 due to start motor issues
"20 Apr 2009 ... Mazda have recalled 25400 models because of a problem concerning the start motor . It was found that the clearance between the engine harness ..."

Mazda recall the 2010 Mazda3 due to start motor issues

Recall Alert: 2005-09 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, Xterra ...
"7 Jan 2009 ... This is the second Nissan recall involving an airbag sensor in the past three months. The other recall affected passenger cars, ..."

Recall Alert: 2005-09 Nissan Pathfinder, Frontier, Xterra - KickingTires

Daihatsu recalls 22500 Move minicars
"Daihatsu recalls 22500 Move minicars. Saturday, June 4, 2005. TOKYO Japan Today reported that Daihatsu Motor Co said it will recall 22475 units of the Move ..."

theautochannel.com/news/2005/06/05/114815.html

Also can anyone please explain, with Japanese QC in place how can Dell Apple HP laptops using Sony batteries explode all over the world ?

We shouldn't forget that the said problem with nano affected only 3 out of 15K+ nanos on the road and Tata was quick to fix the issue by replacing the steering wheel assembly.

I remember the launch of Tata Nano, where on the screen behind the many Tata Nanos was a quote from Osamu Suzuki saying it was impossible to make a four wheeler for nanos price.

Toyota is no longer the largest Automaker in the world. So please never say never.

[srh]

Originally Posted by anmol2k4

Also can anyone please explain, with Japanese QC in place how can Dell Apple HP laptops using Sony batteries explode all over the world ?

We shouldn't forget that the said problem with nano affected only 3 out of 15K+ nanos on the road and Tata was quick to fix the issue by replacing the steering wheel assembly.

I remember the launch of Tata Nano, where on the screen behind the many Tata Nanos was a quote from Osamu Suzuki saying it was impossible to make a four wheeler for nanos price.

Toyota is no longer the largest Automaker in the world. So please never say never.

Good compilation

After all, even with today's levels of automation, manufacturing of automobiles is man dependant process. In addition, the number of variants/ models has only increased the complexity in the supply chain. In such a scenario, every company including the venerable Japs are prone to such failures. Lets not just point out fingers only at the Tatas

[fz_rider]

Latest media reports suggest that Turkey wants Tata Group to consider setting-up a manufacturing plant for its small car Nano so that it can cater to demand for small cars in the European market.
The Economic Times reports quoting the senior Turkish diplomat, Levent Bilman, “To market the Nano in Europe is a very good idea if they (Tata group) choose Turkey to make the vehicle,” he has been quoted in The Press Trust of India brief.

“Tatas are already in the Turkish market. My impression is that they are examining the market a little further in order to see if Turkey is a good place for establishing a production facility. And this is what we want,” he added.” According to him Turkey is the gateway to Europe, the Middle-East and central Asia. So, it suits Tatas well. It is well known that Tata Motors plan to introduce Tata Nano in the European market by 2012.”



source : WheelsUnplugged - India's Leading Automobile News Website |

[rkg]

One more Recall which i would like add to what ANMOL2K4 already listed

Hyundai to recall 139,500 Sonata Sedans in US
Hyundai to recall 139,500 Sonata Sedans in US - The Economic Times

The same was posted in this forum in the morning. So far there are 72 views but no comments.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/intern...sedans-us.html

In the last few months/one year almost all the reputed Auto MNC had to recall their cars not in few numbers but in thousand and millions.

My knowledge is limited in auto field but i fail to understand how on earth such huge numbers escaped the best Q&C practices in world , but not so in India.

We are actually blessed because these companies are selling us a better product than what they are selling in USA and other developed countries

That is also the reason TOYOTA is now on ad blitz in print and tele media telling us that it actually produces best cars in India. this kind of ads i have not seen from TOYOTA's started business in India

[vasoo]

I can understand Nano making waves, especially when it is stationary in an "auto show" or in a museum. But Tata has some real work to make it an attractive proposition while in a running state as well. Looking at the spate of complaints on the car catching fire incidents, it is still a long way to go. I am sure Tatas has the will and capability to achieve that goal.

[rpmx1000]

I don't mind the Nano. I was Japanese in my previous birth!

Cut the negativity,man .It's gotten boring, please come up with something better.

To the comment about Japanese, I once took a Japanese colleague to lunch in my Tata Indica Turbo. I did maintain it very well, especially the interiors.The moment he got in, he said , nice car! I looked at his eyes that moment before reacting, and I could sense he was being genuine and not polite or patronizing as I could gauge from his response to the next two or three points we spoke about the car. He had real respect for Tata when he spoke about it - and, he had heard about the Nano project (it was 2007!).

[amit_purohit20]

As Kalam says "Indians feel ashamed to buy an Indian product". I totally agree with him.Its the Indian mentality. While saying this I never fill ashamed of buying a Indian Product.Instead I feel proud to live in a country which can manufacture there own car,trucks and rockets.How many countries in the world do have this capability?
I have a Vista TDI,TVS Apache RTR180 and TVS Victor.All are Indian products and I never felt the quality was so bad to cry about.
Coming back to the topic.I firmly believe one day (might take some time)but TATA and there NANO will have the respectable place in the world which they deserve for this product.

[anjan_c2007]

The Nano is something we should be quite proud of.The niche for which it was meant was never thought of by any manufacturer. And no one thought anything less than the B or the B Plus segment.
This tiny car should mean happy motoring to one and all who can afford it!

Originally Posted by anmol2k4

We shouldn't forget that the said problem with nano affected only 3 out of 15K+ nanos on the road and Tata was quick to fix the issue by replacing the steering wheel assembly.

The conspiracy angle cannot be ruled out from these events for sure.Lets hope Tata comes out with the investigation report.