Indian Autos Thread -2

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Aditya_V
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Aditya_V »

Well -> Unless you want the slighlty extra space or driving on broken roads, why do want the TUV 300- being a ladder frame chassis the Kerb weight is 1700KG compared to Brezza 1170-90 KG and Ecosport 1230-60KG. That extra weight compromises pickup braking and handling.
adityadange
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by adityadange »

frankly i dont think brezza fits into any kind of UV norm. at least to me it feels like inflated swift and just a 'car'. space is main factor i am looking for in new car. again various reviews say the engine is much refined and gives enough power to that much heavy car. also everybody agrees that it is very rugged and sturdy build vehicle and brezza or ecosport cannot match its toughness.
Kashi
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Kashi »

Dilbu wrote:I think TATA has turned a corner with the introduction of Tiago. The build quality, features and the pricing of this car makes Tata a serious player in below 6 lakhs segment. Also they are not going to release this car for commercial operations as taxis, which had dented their brand image badly in the past. They have a lineup of good looking cars to be released in a row in the coming months. They are definitely trying to up their game this time.
How can they stop commercial operators from purchasing these cars or restricting their commercial use?

Why would use of a car dent the makers brand image?
rahulm
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by rahulm »

In Belgique and the Fatherland I see many three pointed star regular taxis. Has not dented the MB brand.

In OZ FORD Falcon taxis were the norm.Now CAMRY hybrids are the latest trend. Has not dented respective brands. Never mind that FORD didn't have much left to dent but even so, they were the first choice for corporate and government fleet vehicles.

I have never seen the Tiago in flesh but hopefully, TATA has turned the corner. For me, personally, it has been an under achiever despite having a great starting point and industrial depth.

The Tiago front looks like a mistake and the rear looks like a Hyundai 'i' series. Why the silly colours on the front AC vents? some desi colour schemes are weird. If the car colours must be indeginised then go the full monty and paint it in sankheda furniture colour scheme. They need to change their Rangwala

If the Revotron is any good, maybe, it will be the saving grace in the kitna deti hai and pawar accha hai stakes.

Mahindra has been, for me, the surprise standout. From the same ''refined' manufacturing standards as TAFE they have boot
strapped themselves in a decade to give the TATA Execs. a dreadful fright and sleepless nights in th passenger segment. MM's quality management is not better than TATA but it is no worse and that's an achievement for a company that has come from bone rattling JEEPS and tractors.

MM have pipped TATA and have a production EV in the market today. TATA is still faffing around with concepts.

TATA are looking more like GM and Mahindra like Chrysler during Iococoa
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Dilbu »

This is how Tata Motors pressing brake on ‘taxi’ image
Country's top vehicle manufacturer by revenue, Tata Motors, is extending its efforts to shake off taxi supplier brand image with its new Bolt hatchback like it did with the compact sedan Zest. The carmaker is leaving no stone unturned to woo the heart of personal vehicle buyers, and in this endeavour, Tata Motors is clicking on the social media in a big way along with the traditional tools of branding.
Besides the Nano image, the company also has to ensure that it gets the positioning of the new cars bang-on this time, so that they do not end up being 'just' commercial vehicles. As of now, neither Zest nor Bolt are available to the commercial/fleet segment and are not to be registered for commercial use. The company feels that these are driver-centric cars and all the features in these cars have been provided keeping the personal segment in mind.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Dilbu »

There is nothing wrong in a car being used as taxi but apparently Indian middle class 'tashte' has a problem with that image. Probably happens in India onlee.
Tata Motors Seeks Image Rebirth With Lionel Messi- Hatchback
Pimpri: India's Tata Motors Ltd will be reborn this month with a curvaceous hatchback far removed from the low-cost, boxy models often associated with taxis, kicking off an image-centred strategy for a brand with newly global aspirations.
Tata, exclusively a truck-maker until around the turn of the century, is looking beyond primarily practical, fuel-efficient workhorses as India's fast-growing, brand-conscious middle class increasingly seek vehicles that reflect their tastes.

The Zica is the start of that new direction, Leverton said, but the carmaker will have a hard time changing perceptions.

"Customers will go back to Tata only if the product is above everything else in the market," said Deepesh Rathore, director at Emerging Markets Automotive Advisors. Tata has been stigmatised by early quality issues while subsequent quality gains have been offset by questionable reliability, he said.

Devesh Gupta, a Delhi-based 26-year-old media professional, said he recently passed over buying a Tata car because of the automaker's "taxi" image, and opted for a Maruti Suzuki Wagon R.

"It's difficult to bet on a Tata horse," said Gupta.
Kashi
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Kashi »

Dilbu wrote:"Customers will go back to Tata only if the product is above everything else in the market," said Deepesh Rathore, director at Emerging Markets Automotive Advisors. Tata has been stigmatised by early quality issues while subsequent quality gains have been offset by questionable reliability, he said.
I believe this is the real challenge that TATA are facing. Their units have been plagued by quality and reliability issues. It's baffling that an automobile company with a long history and an expansive presence in India, which has products such as Jaguar and Land Rover in it's portfolio are still unable to convince their customers that their products are quality and highly reliable. TATA have not picked up nothing from their JLR acquisition? Is it really too much to expect an inflow of advanced technology into their auto manufacturing in India?
Dilbu wrote:Devesh Gupta, a Delhi-based 26-year-old media professional, said he recently passed over buying a Tata car because of the automaker's "taxi" image, and opted for a Maruti Suzuki Wagon R.

"It's difficult to bet on a Tata horse," said Gupta.
To each his own. For me, operating costs and operational experience matter more than the so-called image.
Gus
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Gus »

product positioning is still all over the place with very few products hitting the important stuff with high enough marks. for each category - there is space, safety features, power/mileage balance, ride comfort, interior and fits and finish quality, service quality and finally price.

most cars don't hit all of these high enough and you have to make severe compromise in something.
Yagnasri
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Yagnasri »

Most of the people purchase the car for status also sir. That is why the Taxi image hurts.
rahulm
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by rahulm »

Don't taxi drivers deserve driver centric features ?

Oh wait, with über and Ola every car is a potential taxi. Now what?

TATA Should focus on quality and reliability. Everything else will take care of itself. And launch a signature 2 seat twin turbo roadster to set itself apart. That takes care of the image..Hyundai has the Veloster, MB has AMG, FORD has the mustang, NISSAN has the 350/370 Z, Chevrolet has the Stingray, Chrysler has the Viper, ALFA ROMEO have the 4C etc et. etc.. TATA wants to play with the big boys and it has what? The Indica platform ?

I probably wouldn't buy a JLR product but for those who have one- does it say anywhere under the bonnet 'A TATA MOTORS' product ? Just curious.
Gus
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Gus »

herd mentality will change on a dime if opinion makers start buying whenever they come up with a quality product that ticks all the right boxes.

problem is, the product itself is not ambitious and feeds into its bad image over the years.

not getting basic stuff like seat adjustment levers not hitting legs, insides that fades and peels off within 2 years, high pressure diesel line positioned under sharp edge and gets cut into...the basic issues are endless
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Singha »

taking a leaf out of hyundai's old days in 1990s, Tatas can offer a comprehensive 100K/7yr warranty and 5 yrs bumper to bumper. sure margins will take some hit from warranty repair but this might be made by volumes , more dealer servicing and a push to improve quality and not have the rattles and plastic bits falling off issues.

and they really need to push and improve the quality and fitting of interior upholstery and plastics to somewhere near the hyundai std across their fleet.

people do not mind paying 1-2L extra for a hyundai or honda because the interior is tight and good and the product is deemed quite reliable and brand wise , seen as respectable.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by SaiK »

BMW is going all carbon composites. Their new carbon fiber 7 series is kickass
tandav
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by tandav »

I for one believe the age of the private car is nearing its end. From now onward there will be more emphasis on shared ownership of transport services.

1) In Cities like Mumbai atleast Ola and Uber have nearly made private car ownership redundant. Sure these may be subsdized by investor money but I get the feeling that as electric cars become viable the costs per KM will come down.

2) A Car occupies approx 100 sqft while parked on public roads in cities. It is to be noted that parking is occupying infrastructure space funded by the tax payer. Ideally Parking on public property should invoke rent for time and space (happens in places like HK, Sing, NYC). Assuming cost of rent per sqft in Mumbai is Rs 20/sqft/mon then cost of car parking itself is Rs 2000/ month/ car. Once the real costs of owning cars starts being billed to the owners, shared transport will become the norm.

3) Companies like Tata should actually embrace the taxi cab market move towards creating the ideal taxi car and perhaps even start operating these taxis fleet.

2) More interestingly since there nearly no cost for creating aerial infrastructure flying drones may become the new mode of personnel transport
Gus
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Gus »

it will take even more worsening of traffic. like 3 to 4 hours each way. only then our city people will let go of the car craze.

i left my car in native place and just use cycle for anything within an hour and ola for longer distances.

i can even reach some places faster on a cycle as i can lift cycle and cross into service roads, can squeeze through traffic and then walk the signals.
Yagnasri
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Yagnasri »

Recently started using Ola here and also native place. Found it quite ok. But drivers do not know the localities etc. But they are using GPS. Billing was honest when compared to the cabs.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Singha »

meh even renault with the kwid is selling 9000 units a month and beating Telco in home market...

the new director of telco is said to be starting a cleanup

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ind ... 934097.cms
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Sachin »

Gus wrote:it will take even more worsening of traffic. like 3 to 4 hours each way. only then our city people will let go of the car craze.
Was relying on public transport for last 1 1/2 years, before I shifted my work place. To be frank, I totally realized the benefits of public transport. Now with just about 5 months of driving in the city, I am now trying to figure out the possible bus routes which can take me home (and office) with-in a reasonable time.

I come from a small town which even during the 2000s just had 3 Traffic Sub-Inspectors (1 jeep, two motor cycles) and around 4 "Flying Squads" to enforce the traffic laws. Traffic pile ups were kind of "never heard-off". In 16 years, things changed and a flat/apartment boom also kicked in and the whole place changed. Today they have around 7 Traffic Sub Inspectors (3 jeeps, 5-6 motor cycles) and 6 "Flying squads", with an exclusive wireless channel . All get into traffic control in the peak hours. Parking is now a major problem. So much so that in my home town, I now either walk or use auto rickshaws.

I feel four wheelers are still a luxury for many people, and so people would buy it and also enjoy using them. But over the next 5-7 years (after purchase), they may lose out on the enjoyment (at least on the city) and then decide to park their vehicles at home and use public transport.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by adityadange »

Ajatshatru,
Why dont you check Mahindra Mojo? Yes styling is not great, specially headlamps but all reviews that i read applaused ride, handling and engine refinement.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Rahul M »

safari storme is recommended for ride quality by my peers. handled really bad roads in NE pretty well with my friends pregnant SHQ being the pax.
habal
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by habal »

Safari is ladder-on-frame type of chassis, some people may not like it. Especially driving in congested cities and narrow roads. Though ride quality of that thing is unparalleled. For manouvrability & ride quality & car-like handling as a combination, a monocoque chassis duster or bRV could be better.
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Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Peregrine »

India August vehicle production grows 16.1%; sales up 23.7%

SINGAPORE (ICIS)--India’s total vehicle production in August rose by 16.1% year on year to 2.31m units, with domestic sales up by 23.7% at 2.01m units, industry data showed on Thursday.

Two-wheelers accounted for 79.8% of the total production and 82% of overall sales, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Production of passenger vehicles in August grew by 9.99% year on year to 324,599 units, with sales up 16.7% at 258,722 units and exports rising by 27% at 75,483 units.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Singha »

Rahul M wrote:safari storme is recommended for ride quality by my peers. handled really bad roads in NE pretty well with my friends pregnant SHQ being the pax.
A hot athletic girl in my apt drives one
Sadly she is married and hubby sits in pax seat
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by srikven »

Ajatshatru wrote:Many thanks for the reply. I toured nearly half a dozen cities of one particular state in India, by road, last month. Mostly used different models of Mahindra (Scorpio et al.) during the tour. Trust me, not exaggerating, but rarely sat in more uncomfortable vehicles in my life. The moment these vehicles hit even a small bump on the road, people sitting inside nearly hit the roof of the vehicle. By the evening of each day, most bones of our body were paining. Thoroughly uncomfortable ride....these vehicles may come with lots of bells and whistles and may have good space inside, but are not very comfortable..
Very true. I hv been driving a XUV 500 for a year now after driving an innova for 10 years. XUV is very bumpy, braking is very inconsistent inspite oif ABS et al. I think I made a mistake in picking a Mahindra SUV . I should hv waited for a few months and picked up the new Innova or should hv gone in for a Fortuner
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Mollick.R »

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-new ... Q27ZM.html
A host of safety features such as speed warning beeps, seat belt alarm and rear sensors will be made mandatory for all passenger cars in India from April 2018. Road minister Nitin Gadkari approved the proposals on Thursday.
“The additional features will increase a vehicle’s cost between Rs 20,000 and Rs 60,000 depending on the model. But the price factor should not matter for the lives that will be saved,” he explained.
The proposed speed alert will start beeping for a few seconds when a car hits 60kmph, start again at 80kmph, and turn into continuous series of frantic beeps when the speed exceeds 90kmph.............................
“Manufacturers will have to put these features in all new cars, while old vehicles will have to get them retrofitted,” a ministry official said.
Manufacturers will have to put these features in all new cars, while old vehicles will have to get them retrofitted,” a ministry official said.
Another feature the ministry proposes to make mandatory is manual override for central locking system.
It has been noticed that the central locks often get jammed in accidents and the trapped passengers struggle to get out.
Mollick.R
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Mollick.R »

About speed warning TOI mentions that it will come up at 80 kmph (no mention about initial one at 60 kmph) :-?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/auto ... 58384.cms?
mandatory audio warning is also being introduced. "At 80 kmph brief beep alarm will come. Once you touch 90 kmph there will be continuous beep," he said.
Don't think retrofitting manual override for central locking system will be possible for old cars.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by rahulm »

This was a golden opportunity to mandate auto head light dippers.

While I have been severe on TATA, to give credit where it's due, they have done a good job with the SAFARI STORME.

Mahendra are doing rather well, their products are an overdose of gaudy lipstick on a grumpy agricultural pig. However, People like it. Here in Goa, it's Mahindra and Suzuki everywhere. People also seem to refer EICHER 4x2 dump trucks. Hardly, any TATA Or AL.

With mining stopped, these trucks bought with debt are lying unused, rusting away in people's homes
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by adityadange »

Ajatshatru wrote:Many thanks for the reply. I toured nearly half a dozen cities of one particular state in India, by road, last month. Mostly used different models of Mahindra (Scorpio et al.) during the tour. Trust me, not exaggerating, but rarely sat in more uncomfortable vehicles in my life. The moment these vehicles hit even a small bump on the road, people sitting inside nearly hit the roof of the vehicle. By the evening of each day, most bones of our body were paining. Thoroughly uncomfortable ride....these vehicles may come with lots of bells and whistles and may have good space inside, but are not very comfortable..
i think there is some disconnect between my answer and your interpretation. i am suggesting mojo over pulsar cs400 and not as alternative to honda brv.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by hanumadu »

Tata Hexa. The front (hood) definitely looks like a land rover. Tiago seems to be a success so much so that they postponed the launch of its sedan version to meet the demand.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Hitesh »

As regarding the speed warning beeps, if I ever get a car with that, I will immediately disable it or yank that stupid sounding alarm device and toss it out. If the authorities ask me questions about that device, I will deliver a well placed thapaard in the right region and tell them to mind their goddamn bloody business.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Aditya_V »

Hitesh wrote:As regarding the speed warning beeps, if I ever get a car with that, I will immediately disable it or yank that stupid sounding alarm device and toss it out. If the authorities ask me questions about that device, I will deliver a well placed thapaard in the right region and tell them to mind their goddamn bloody business.
Not so easy, it was there in Oman but you tend to ignore it. I have it in my Ecosport I normally set it 120, not to intrusive, helps in Highways if I am inadvertently driving to fast.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by GeorgeM »

Hitesh wrote:As regarding the speed warning beeps, if I ever get a car with that, I will immediately disable it or yank that stupid sounding alarm device and toss it out. If the authorities ask me questions about that device, I will deliver a well placed thapaard in the right region and tell them to mind their goddamn bloody business.
Agree, too much govt in our lives :twisted: . An option to set speed limit alarm is welcome, but please don't get into my body. All these 'safety matters' thinking is slowing becoming nauseating, especially since these are being implemented by folks with very little scientific thought - speed breakers, road signs, exit and entry ramps, 3 lanes becomes 2 lanes in a hurry, etc. Now this speed alarms.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Suraj »

Suzuki India is on the cusp of a milestone : they'll exceed Suzuki Japan in revenues. They've been producing more units for some time now, but now revenues will also exceed their home market, making Suzuki India the most important revenue source for Suzuki Motor Corporation:
Suzuki India revenue to beat Japan parent
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Pathik »

rahulm wrote:In Belgique and the Fatherland I see many three pointed star regular taxis. Has not dented the MB brand.

In OZ FORD Falcon taxis were the norm.Now CAMRY hybrids are the latest trend. Has not dented respective brands. Never mind that FORD didn't have much left to dent but even so, they were the first choice for corporate and government fleet vehicles.
Customer psychology matters. While in western countries these vehicles are called as fleet vehicles, the fleets are generally top of the line in passenger comfort and well maintained usually new cars. Lifespan of fleet and hire vehicles are generally short after which they are auctioned or sold off. In countries like India fleet is generally considered as the kali-peelis or the white indicas and taveras which do not rank high on status quo.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Pathik »

srikven wrote:
Ajatshatru wrote:Many thanks for the reply. I toured nearly half a dozen cities of one particular state in India, by road, last month. Mostly used different models of Mahindra (Scorpio et al.) during the tour. Trust me, not exaggerating, but rarely sat in more uncomfortable vehicles in my life. The moment these vehicles hit even a small bump on the road, people sitting inside nearly hit the roof of the vehicle. By the evening of each day, most bones of our body were paining. Thoroughly uncomfortable ride....these vehicles may come with lots of bells and whistles and may have good space inside, but are not very comfortable..
Very true. I hv been driving a XUV 500 for a year now after driving an innova for 10 years. XUV is very bumpy, braking is very inconsistent inspite oif ABS et al. I think I made a mistake in picking a Mahindra SUV . I should hv waited for a few months and picked up the new Innova or should hv gone in for a Fortuner
Dad's scorpio did 150,000 Kms after which we sold it off as it was reaching its zenith in maintenance costs. after 120,000 kms the amount of servicing and repairs that are needed to keep this vehicle running normally is phenomenal. Mahindra and Tata produce some of the worst vehicles in terms of refinement and peace of mind. Maruti is notches ahead in both (suzuki know how). Some of the designs on the Mahindra models have been atrocious, some CV designs are laughing stock. I hope they are taking cue
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Sridhar K »

Having owned a Hyundai, Tata (Manza), and a Maruti, and spending a lot of times with driver owners of Tata vehicles during our trips, here are my observation on Tata

a) Tata has improved leaps and bounds on the design. (Ride was always good and with every iteration, the handling is becoming better). you can see the improvement in storme, aria also rides and handle well. The same with the zest, Bolt and Tiago. Interiors are designed better. Feature wise, they offer great stuff.
b) QC in manufacturing is still a long way to go. They don't seem to enforce quality controls on the OEM. My neighbor works for a clutch manufacture who supplies to Tata, Maruti, Renault and his feedback is consistent with what I read elsewhere. There was a good post by an exTML person who ventured into components and how Ford and other vendors invest to verify tolerances on parts while TML does not care. This causes reliability issues. Secondly due to part tolerances, even though the interior design is good, you have fitment issues resulting in inconsistent gaps, weird niggles. I used to spend a huge amount of time to arrest a weird rattling sound in my Manza was very high. Swift also rattles a bit but was able to trace and fix. Alternator failure on my Manza within 20k KM was not a uncommon problem despite the fact that it was supplied by Valeo who also supply the same to various other cars with issue. One of my friends was an investor in TML after sales service center and he finally exited the business as he had to stock to support warranty replacement
c) For a car in demand like Tiago (earlier same thing happened with Manza, Nano) was that there is a waiting time and they don't meet the demand when it is hot. By the time they deliver, people look for other alternatives. They were the first to launch Zest with AMT but were constrained big time with supply on the AMT kits but by the time it got sorted out, they lost the first mover advantage
d) Earlier Indicas were cheap to maintain inspite of reliability issues. Now the spare parts cost have gone up multiple times on the Indica but without the corresponding improvement in reliability. The cost of servicing with their CR engines is very high but their CR engines are not as reliable as other CR engines. Hence there is a still huge demand for their DI engines which don't meet BS4 norms. None of the taxi wallah in Chennai touches a CR4 Indica but rather goes to suburban Chennai and buys India V2 DLS
e) For Bolt, they never offered as taxis but now they are joining the bandwagon loosing out on the opportunity to sell more
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by habal »

Non bumpy cars:

Duster, Innova, Aria, Safari, Hexa?, Linea, Punto, Fabia, Octavia, Laura, Superb, Camry, Q7, MU7, Elantra, SCross
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Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by AdityaM »

I bought a Quanto 2 years ago.
The issues i have faced with it, i dont think any other car can have. The litany of woes is too long to write.

Mahindra really needs to work on their Quality issues.
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Post by Zynda »

GM India may be heading towards closing shop and exiting the country. Apparently, India is not a very important market for GM and they place a lot more value on making it big in China apart from other traditional markets like US. No new products have been introduced in India and even the so called facelifts pale in comparison with the competition. GM even said that the new Spark/Beat was developed exclusively for the developed market. Tavera, which one-time was giving stiff competition to Qualis is no where to be seen. Sail & other products have sailed away in to disappearance. Cruze is the only decent performer in terms of sales and even there, GM has provided no hints of introducing the newer version here in India. Combined with the fact that GM's plant in Gujurat is being acquired by a Chinese auto firm, points to the signs of an impending exit. Many GM/Chevy showrooms have been closing or switching over to other OEMs in the last two years.

And added to the above...here is the kicker

GM India: 2015-16 losses are FOUR times its net worth
BENGALURU, JANUARY 9:
The Indian operation of General Motors is sinking with losses mounting to over ₹1,100 crore during 2015-16, while revenues have grown around ₹2,500 crore and net worth is ₹249 crore.

General Motors, which commenced operations in India in 1995, is witnessing some of its worst days as it struggles to keep itself afloat among increasing competition from relatively newer players like Renault and legacy car makers such as Maruti Suzuki.

The Detroit-headquartered car maker last year said it is putting on hold its $1 billion investment plan in India which could result in the delay of launching new models. GM had said that it will not bring its global emerging market platform to India because of huge losses incurred by the Indian operations.

A detailed questionnaire sent to General Motors remained unanswered.

Global consultancy firm PwC’s partner and automotive lead, Abdul Majeed told BusinessLine that while it may not be the end of the road for the car maker, it needs to refocus itself on the Indian market and have a solid strategy for the country.

Focus on China

“They still have a chance to get back as India as a market cannot be ignored because this is where the growth has to come from. They have to participate meaningfully in the Indian market,” Majeed said.

Majeed, who works closely with PwC’s US automotive practice, said General Motors’ focus was more on China than on India. He pointed out that the company has not had a big launch for quite some time now and in an industry where the fixed or capital cost is high, it is necessary to have bigger volumes.

“They don’t have a good product in the small car market which constitutes 70 per cent of the market. Nor do they have a good compact SUV model which is the fastest growing category currently.”

Gujarat plant for sale
General Motors last year told the Gujarat government that it is shutting down its Halol plant which has a capacity to produce 1.27 lakh units per year.

The other plant of GM is based out of Talegoan in Maharashtra which can manufacture 1.6 lakh units. It has also put up for sale, the Halol plant from which it expects to get ₹1,500 crore.

According to reports, SAIC Motor Corp, the China-based auto maker is expected to buy the Halol plant to mark its presence in the country.

SAIC also holds less than 10 per cent stake in SAIC-General Motors Investment which runs the operations in India.

The car maker’s largest selling models are multi-utility vehicles Tavera and Enjoy, which constitutes half of its total sales. General Motors sells all its models in India through its brand, Chevrolet.

Its exports for April-November 2016 grew by a whopping 240 per cent to 43,000 units, while domestic sales are down to three digits per month.

The higher export figures show that General Motors is currently more focused on using the local plant as a global manufacturing centre.

(This article was published on January 9, 2017)
I dunno who does the market research for these firms, but recently Ford has cut a lot of features on the upcoming Ecosport, Figo & Aspire models. I guess in the name of cost cutting, they are even removing features like passenger & driver vanity mirrors (isn't this used by wimmens a lot?). At least as of now, Ford has some aspirations of doing decently in India unlike GM. I dunno how well Fiat is doing as well...they have been quiet recently. Only MSIL is surging ahead with product launches every year and each product selling like hot cakes. Even the boxy & not so looking Ignis is supposedly a hit even before launch!
Aditya_V
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Joined: 05 Apr 2006 16:25

Re: Indian Autos Thread -2

Post by Aditya_V »

Yup! But in Ford case, its competitors especially market leader does very well with lesser features but has key features like Touchscreen etc. Also, adding a feature also more parts to maintain a feature. So they seem to what the Market leader in India is doing.
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