Namaskaram, Fellow BHPians and auto junkies

akhilesh51 · 22nd January 2009, 14:28

A very big hello to all fellow auto junkies!!!

Myself, a 23 year old hopeless auto addict, with no permanent address ( Jaipur, Nainital, Dehradun, Nottingham, London to count a few) and driven by two passions in life - Football (Man Utd, but of course!) and CARS...

I consider myself the biggest fan of Fiat marquee though few would dispute this claim on this forum and my due respects to all fellow FIAT/FERRARI/MASERATI/ALFA ROMEO fans.

Living by the dreams and driven by passion to achieve them, I reached a milestone last year by driving Ferrari 360 Modena at the Silverstone circuit and most can now guess, owning a ferrari would be a logical 'dream' forward...(Only if money did grow on trees!)

Luckily, My job or profession itself is centered around automobiles. And before get into my profession, I am , by qualification, an Materials design engineer with specialisation in Alternative fuels (Hydrogen fuel being my favourite)

As for profession, I started out as intern for Rolls Royce (not cars though...Jet turbine engine manufacturing) and then moved into a boring software engineering job (Hell!! what was I thinking), and on to family business of automobile dealership near Jaipur, Rajasthan by the name Bhagwati Autowheels (P) Ltd.

Which company....TATA & soon FIAT, obviously! cheers:

So, hope to give my two pennies of thoughts on TATA - FIAT lineup in my time here as Team BHPian.

Finally, for all those curious ppl, FIAT LINEA actually is brilliant...take my word if you may, I myself have bought one on day 1 itself and I am not even dealing Fiats yet!

BaCkSeAtDrIVeR · 22nd January 2009, 15:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by akhilesh51

So, hope to give my two pennies of thoughts on TATA - FIAT lineup in my time here as Team BHPian.

Ah!!! Ha!!! Just the man we were looking for!!!!!

Before we take your pennies, why don't you try out our pounds and bushels??

Start with muneermk's thread on his job experiences; and steerioid's thread on his long term safari ownership. And look around for drpullockaran's "junkindica" and more than a couple of other threads on a famous Sumo victa.

Brace yourselves for a "scorching" welcome!!!

neoranjit · 22nd January 2009, 17:25

Not sure if it was a great idea to talk about Fiats and Tatas already

( Kidding ) Welcome mate. and have a great stay.
You will have a lot of feedback that you can carry back to Tata and Fiat.

akhilesh51 · 22nd January 2009, 20:18

@ Bacseatdriver

I am already aware of the long history of tata cars and dealership experiences. I have also read all the mentioned threads (in good detail)

I will not shy from the fact that Tata-Fiat dealers have at times been quite notorious (Sorry, colleagues!) and Car line-up has itself not been without its share of problems.

But to put into perspective, Tata Motors Passenger cars unit is all but 10 years old (or should i say young) with no foreign big brother (not at least until Fiat very recently).

The cars have been all indigenous products. The product is not great but the effort is commendable. Tata Indica still is cheapest diesel car around with seating easily comparable to some bigger cars.

Tata Safari is the car that gave people reason to dream, India's first SUV. the royal feel attched to car is still unbeatable.

As for other cars, they may have problems but we are still growing. Look at Indica Vista for example and from what glimpses we have of Tata Indigo next generation.

I am proud to manage Tata-Fiat because it is a company genuinely Indian and a company with lot of potential maybe marred by some dealers who take the brand name for granted just because they have other more 'dignified' brands and Tata actually does not bar one from acquiring other dealerships unlike Maruti Suzuki.

And above all,not to be cliched but 'we have already seen the worst, now see better'. A commitment from new dealer for both Tata and its network.

Ciao

f450 · 22nd January 2009, 23:03

First of all, welcome to the forum.

Second, when is TATA going to bring Jaguar to India?

Quote:

Originally Posted by akhilesh51

A very big hello to all fellow auto junkies!!!

And out of curiosity, why do u say Namaskaram (and not Namaskar) ? Ur not Telugu, are you?

roopakr · 23rd January 2009, 03:06

Welcome akhilesh.
I wonder why it took a long time for you to be here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akhilesh51

A very big hello to all fellow auto junkies!!!

Living by the dreams and driven by passion to achieve them, I reached a milestone last year by driving Ferrari 360 Modena at the Silverstone circuit

Wow the right person I was looking for. I was planing to be there to take myself behind the wheels of a ferrari. As you have already done it , I think I can get a better idea of what i need to expect from you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akhilesh51

Which company....TATA & soon FIAT, obviously! cheers:

Good to have a TATA dealer here in the forum.I am sure you will be flooded with queries in the coming days

cheers from another FIAT fan.

nishant_kingpin · 23rd January 2009, 03:57

Welcome Akhilesh and great to have a another TATA-FIAT fan onboard. I may get beaten up by friends on the forum but yes I am with you word to word on your feelings as a fan and dealer. Have had TATA/FIAT cars (2 Indica’s, 1 Indigo & now Adventure) since launch of Indica (I had the allotment number 21 for Indica DLX in Delhi

) with loads of problems in almost all cars (Was probably lucky with the Indigo not giving me a nightmare & Adventure almost holding on too). Problems aside my fan quotient has not budged even a percentage (Am not Honest here as lost my cool on some occasions…) even so that I may end up getting a Jag over a Beemer or Merc of the same category in the future.

Am sure you will enjoy being a part of a forum where many hearts beat for TATA-FIAT and many brains denounce them. Have a rocking ride!!

akhilesh51 · 23rd January 2009, 17:18

@ Roopaker

I know it did take me a long time to get here at Team-BHP but that is primarily due to my ever traveling nature from hostel life at Doon to No internet policy at offices at my software firm (It is a software firm, i thought!)

Also, It will be one of your best experience if you choose to indulge at Silverstone. They have an extensive programme where you are taught the basics of super car driving, cornering, etc. Great if you really want to experience a day on circuit. But if you just want to get behind wheel of Ferrari for the heck of it, You would be better off at a lot of places in London itself and cheaper too!!!

akhilesh51 · 23rd January 2009, 18:02

@ Nishant

Thank you for the support for Fiat-Tata through the tough times. I am sure there are lot many ppl who have more than just few good words for Tata like its sturdiness, solid build and comfort...above all value for money

akhilesh51 · 23rd January 2009, 18:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by f450

First of all, welcome to the forum.

Second, when is TATA going to bring Jaguar to India?

And out of curiosity, why do u say Namaskaram (and not Namaskar) ? Ur not Telugu, are you?

Sorry to disappoint you but I am just about as knowledgeable on this topic as other on team-bhp.

sammyboy · 23rd January 2009, 20:13

Welcome Akhilesh, nice to know you are connected to 2 places I have been closest to Dehradun and Jaipur

I am sure with your passion and knowledge you will set new milestones for your Tata-Fiat dealership. We need more people like you.

All the very best and enjoy yourself. Do go through the Announcement threads and familiarise yourself with the rules. Helps avoid infractions

22nd January 2009, 14:28	#1
akhilesh51 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Jaipur, RAJ Posts: 631 Thanked: 339 Times	Namaskaram, Fellow BHPians and auto junkies A very big hello to all fellow auto junkies!!! Myself, a 23 year old hopeless auto addict, with no permanent address ( Jaipur, Nainital, Dehradun, Nottingham, London to count a few) and driven by two passions in life - Football (Man Utd, but of course!) and CARS... I consider myself the biggest fan of Fiat marquee though few would dispute this claim on this forum and my due respects to all fellow FIAT/FERRARI/MASERATI/ALFA ROMEO fans. Living by the dreams and driven by passion to achieve them, I reached a milestone last year by driving Ferrari 360 Modena at the Silverstone circuit and most can now guess, owning a ferrari would be a logical 'dream' forward...(Only if money did grow on trees!) Luckily, My job or profession itself is centered around automobiles. And before get into my profession, I am , by qualification, an Materials design engineer with specialisation in Alternative fuels (Hydrogen fuel being my favourite) As for profession, I started out as intern for Rolls Royce (not cars though...Jet turbine engine manufacturing) and then moved into a boring software engineering job (Hell!! what was I thinking), and on to family business of automobile dealership near Jaipur, Rajasthan by the name Bhagwati Autowheels (P) Ltd. Which company....TATA & soon FIAT, obviously! cheers: So, hope to give my two pennies of thoughts on TATA - FIAT lineup in my time here as Team BHPian. Finally, for all those curious ppl, FIAT LINEA actually is brilliant...take my word if you may, I myself have bought one on day 1 itself and I am not even dealing Fiats yet!
	() Thanks

22nd January 2009, 17:25	#3
neoranjit BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 588 Thanked: 195 Times View My Garage	Not sure if it was a great idea to talk about Fiats and Tatas already ( Kidding ) Welcome mate. and have a great stay. You will have a lot of feedback that you can carry back to Tata and Fiat.
	() Thanks

22nd January 2009, 20:18	#4
akhilesh51 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Jaipur, RAJ Posts: 631 Thanked: 339 Times	@ Bacseatdriver I am already aware of the long history of tata cars and dealership experiences. I have also read all the mentioned threads (in good detail) I will not shy from the fact that Tata-Fiat dealers have at times been quite notorious (Sorry, colleagues!) and Car line-up has itself not been without its share of problems. But to put into perspective, Tata Motors Passenger cars unit is all but 10 years old (or should i say young) with no foreign big brother (not at least until Fiat very recently). The cars have been all indigenous products. The product is not great but the effort is commendable. Tata Indica still is cheapest diesel car around with seating easily comparable to some bigger cars. Tata Safari is the car that gave people reason to dream, India's first SUV. the royal feel attched to car is still unbeatable. As for other cars, they may have problems but we are still growing. Look at Indica Vista for example and from what glimpses we have of Tata Indigo next generation. I am proud to manage Tata-Fiat because it is a company genuinely Indian and a company with lot of potential maybe marred by some dealers who take the brand name for granted just because they have other more 'dignified' brands and Tata actually does not bar one from acquiring other dealerships unlike Maruti Suzuki. And above all,not to be cliched but 'we have already seen the worst, now see better'. A commitment from new dealer for both Tata and its network. Ciao
	() Thanks

23rd January 2009, 03:57	#7
nishant_kingpin BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 335 Thanked: 4 Times	Welcome Akhilesh and great to have a another TATA-FIAT fan onboard. I may get beaten up by friends on the forum but yes I am with you word to word on your feelings as a fan and dealer. Have had TATA/FIAT cars (2 Indica’s, 1 Indigo & now Adventure) since launch of Indica (I had the allotment number 21 for Indica DLX in Delhi ) with loads of problems in almost all cars (Was probably lucky with the Indigo not giving me a nightmare & Adventure almost holding on too). Problems aside my fan quotient has not budged even a percentage (Am not Honest here as lost my cool on some occasions…) even so that I may end up getting a Jag over a Beemer or Merc of the same category in the future. Am sure you will enjoy being a part of a forum where many hearts beat for TATA-FIAT and many brains denounce them. Have a rocking ride!!
	() Thanks

23rd January 2009, 17:18	#8
akhilesh51 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Jaipur, RAJ Posts: 631 Thanked: 339 Times	@ Roopaker I know it did take me a long time to get here at Team-BHP but that is primarily due to my ever traveling nature from hostel life at Doon to No internet policy at offices at my software firm (It is a software firm, i thought!) Also, It will be one of your best experience if you choose to indulge at Silverstone. They have an extensive programme where you are taught the basics of super car driving, cornering, etc. Great if you really want to experience a day on circuit. But if you just want to get behind wheel of Ferrari for the heck of it, You would be better off at a lot of places in London itself and cheaper too!!!
	() Thanks

23rd January 2009, 18:02	#9
akhilesh51 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Jaipur, RAJ Posts: 631 Thanked: 339 Times	@ Nishant Thank you for the support for Fiat-Tata through the tough times. I am sure there are lot many ppl who have more than just few good words for Tata like its sturdiness, solid build and comfort...above all value for money
	() Thanks

23rd January 2009, 20:13	#11
sammyboy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Ggn/Dehradun Posts: 1,842 Thanked: 521 Times View My Garage	Welcome Akhilesh, nice to know you are connected to 2 places I have been closest to Dehradun and Jaipur I am sure with your passion and knowledge you will set new milestones for your Tata-Fiat dealership. We need more people like you. All the very best and enjoy yourself. Do go through the Announcement threads and familiarise yourself with the rules. Helps avoid infractions
	() Thanks