Lots of good things about TATA cars and their styling but people say, ‘the fit and finish, those edges… those are not aligned.’
It is not their fault that other brands make cars with Tom Cruise like face ratio.
Maruti does that. But it is not an Indian car manufacturing brand. It is a photocopier from Suzuki, Japan and now Toyota.
It is not a criticism. It is a reality that sounds sarcastic.
Remember Ambassador? That was R&D and built of India.
No, not really. That was British. ‘Morris Oxford, series III‘
Tata and Mahindra are the actual trophies of India. Surname rocks 😀
There are more brands, prestigious Ashok Leyland and hardworking Force Motors.
But we are talking about the glares of our eyes.
Tata Safari, Tata Harrier, Mahindra Thar, Tata Nexon, Mahindra Bolero, Mahindra Scorpio and the latest Tata Curve.
And you know all the remaining star value additions from these super-star brands.
So, it could happen if some bonnet is a little bit misaligned. Or the service experience is bad.
It is OK. It is OK to be. Because if not, then what will you improve?
They are bringing the latest technologies already. They are experimenting. They are safe, they are stylish, they are thrilling. And they are under budget for what they are offering.
And very soon ADAS Level 2 will get aligned with a reliable GPS and then it will turn 90, 180 and even U-turn into tight corners on its own.
Steering already is, as do the automatic gears and breaking. All works fine along with sensors. And one day with updated Indian traffic laws and freehand to technologies, it is going to happen.
But one can say that Maruti is already ahead. No Suzuki is and so do Hyundai and other companies.
These companies are from other countries. Whereas Indian companies are from own country. So, the home brands are actually ahead. Started from thoughts from scratch and now they have already gained momentum.
The thing with external brands is, they do not R&D here. Because that has been long done in their native farms. They only analyze the Indian market trend and how to optimize production cost. viz. Maruti cars are so paper-like. They give excellent fuel economy and cheaper service, but they have lived through an era. And now times have changed.
Then entered the Maruti 1000. That later turned to Esteem. At the same time came Zen.
These were same things from Japan but carefully marketed in Indian shapes. These all were the same engines but were drilled a little more or little less and their power tweaked to a few more compression ratios and torque. All sourced from Suzuki.
Maruti did not build cars. They analyzed the market’s need and betted on the engine and body which were already on Japanese roads. Changed the logo though.
And those models who showed risk, were immediately discontinued. Kizashi, Grand Vitara and I bet you don’t even know about basic two door Maruti Carbon.
Hyundai followed the same strategy. Entered the Indian market with i10, Getz, i20 and Hyundai Accent and Accent Viva and Verna in sedan segment.
Both Maruti and Hyundai, tried to build a strong service market in India. They did. But in terms of manufacturing, they were doing the parts and assembling in India.
As per the agreements with the source company, they owned the blueprints for some time and with some guidelines. I will not say that was easy but what they did on their own was setting up a service market, customer experience and marketing, ‘yeah deti kitna hai…’.
Here from beginning, Tata still is best known for Safari and Sierra. And man, how the new Safari and Harrier comes out. It really holds breath. How I felt when I saw the new Safari, I never felt any near to it with any of the Maruti. Even Creta is not as tingling as Harrier is.
It says, driving a new Tata and Mahindra is amazing. And driving an old Maruti is peace of mind.
So Tata and Mahindra are already ahead in terms of beginning. Soon they will hold on to service and dealer experiences, i.e., peace of mind. And they have no dependencies on any intercountry agreements… so you can do the math.
Maruti Dzire is an Indian experiment. On a cost though. Before Swift, there was a sedan Beleno. It grabbed the attention instantly. It was heavily bought in India.
But Suzuki was all set to launch its global Swift in India with a future planning of its Indian sedan version i.e., Dzire. So, they killed the sedan Beleno, a very good car.
It is OK because strategy worked and Swift and Dzire both are still being bought like crazy.
In regret, Maruti came up with SX4, which despite being good car, didn’t able to make up. And so does the Ciaz. Kizashi and Grand Vitara showed Maruti their size. That they cannot be a luxury brand and a style signature.
Here leading Tata and Mahindra are already a statement. Even hatchback Tata Altroz is. And now Tata and Mahindra are growing with similar strategies in their lineup by Curve and Thar Roxx. In layman terms Curve is essentially a sedan version of Nexon. As Maruti did of Swift into Dzire.
However, Curve stands apart and is a whole new lineup. Thanks to new test build up for SUV sedans. Indians always favors statements over convenience. It is not so long ago when we were on horses. Before independence it was all British and so were the cars of that time. But after independence from horse carts to Ambassador, Padmini, Contessa only Tata Sierra and Tata Estate were the statements and a true home line up. Not only this but these wide bodies and powerful muscles became a statement of that era. People who have seen, know this very well.
Both these were signatures of the dominance of those social strata. then the legacy lineage continued in Safari and Scorpio. Then comes ‘Thar,’ The Stud on Indian tarmac.
And now Thar Roxx, you know 😊 Hulk, and Hulk in tux.
Safari, XUV 700, Harrier, Scorpio N, Thar Roxx, Curve… Ohh!! what a show.
Indian brands have their own R&D as per Indian conditions, their products are rocking compared to Maruti and Hyundai. Remember Hyundai Getz and Hyundai Xcent. They meek-sneak, trying to scrap every corner possibility of the market.
That is what Maruti did with Maruti 800, its first step. It was a toy when standing next to the Ambassador.
Tata and Mahindra have bigger… much bigger daring capacity. Looks like they started their fun kingdom ride with bungee jumping and now they are afraid of nothing.
Tata Aria was… what to say, an experiment with less preparation and before its time, which failed. But Hexa is still a business class jet plane, very ahead of its time. I wish Tata would have plans to launch it in a new avatar.
Till that time, TATA Curve and Mahindra Thar RoXX levels the plane and like Loki sitting on the throne holding nerves of all in the Indian automotive industry.
Tata Curve is a complete vehicle, launched in a complete set of petrol, diesel and electric. Almost two motors in each and variations as per features.
Lifted and muscle chassis, bigger and wider wheels. By the way it seems like big wheels are signature of Tata and Mahindra. And if they place-in small tires, the car design is bigger. Observe Punch and Tigor. I wonder what Tata cars say to Maruti Alto while on a signal… ‘apni chaddi me rah ke baat kar…’
And Thar is a lion, who never cares about his behind because he knows nothing can win it even if on its face.
Both have well working ADAS level 2, rich amount of space, ultra cushioned ride feels and have excellent safety tactics, even ratings prove same. And in terms of luxurious and style, it will get 10 out of 5. The build material is excellent as per sum total of all gained experience.
The good thing with now a days vehicle is the surprising innovation and refinement in materials used. Now not that thick layer of metals is needed to strengthen any structure, not even for minute parts. Materials are getting tougher and more durable than ever. Result, slimmer and lighter parts which are giving enormous strength to over all performance. See nowadays, how refined 1.5 or 2 L CC gives seamless rotary propulsion to those big and thick 255/65 R18. That is beyond 10-inch thick and yet it feels like wind. So much smooth delivery from these new 4 cylinders engines to these massive tires. That is why an off roader, rear wheel drive SUV squeezes easily in city traffic. And you might be surprised by its silence next to you on a stop.
I must say, innovations are happening everywhere. Whether any Indian brand or a Japanese or Korian or any other experienced brand. They all are touching new heights in terms of everything. No one here is to be criticized. Maruti, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Ford, Skoda, Volkswagen, Kia, Renault and every other who are sizing up Indian marketplace are doing good. And it’s a race, not to win but to stay sustain. In which Maruti has the lead. Toyota, Honda and Hyundai are also doing wonderful jobs. Skoda have an elite segment, and Volkswagen is swinging between behaving as a typical German brand or to be like native of India. Goodness of attitude is better quality but problem with is molding up in different terrains. Because of this, ones with deep pockets confines themselves like Skoda, some brakes like Ford and others stay confusedly swinging between profit and establishment like Volkswagen. There are others which are happy by nibbling like Reno, Nissan, Kia and MG. Some are man of honor because they have crystal clear thought like Mitsubishi.
Overall, everyone is good. Form me, the best is, as you can assume that how tough it is to establish a brand in among all this. And automotive is a serious business. No chances, no temporary arrangements, no compromises. Because is any such happiness, people might lose life in tragedies.
And thinking about all this, while seeing Tata and Mahindra shining like stars, makes me really happy. Even cars from these brands are admired in other countries now. And this is because of they are delivering a countable and competent feature ride to drive.
