DriveBlog

The Tata Palio?

Riding on a partnership that seems close to being finalised between their parent companies, Fiat India and Tata Motors will take the first step in the new relationship with plans to roll out the Fiat Palio from the Tata plant in Pune. A shot in the arm for the Tatas, who are largely perceived as diesel-driven, but can now up their appeal to petrolheads.

From a larger picture too, the partnership seems equally important for both companies  - Fiat will now be able to make use of the immense knowledge base that Tata has on operating in Indian markets - something that even Fiat has admitted it needs help on and something that is being seen the first step towards Fiat's revival in the country - and Tata's huge service network in India. Tata, on the other hand will have access to Fiat's technology knowhow and their enviable international marketing network.

Though a new phenomenon in the Indian marketplace, such collaborations have been quite the flavour in the global arena for some time now.

Also see:
The Fiat Palio takes on the Tata Indica
Tata Indica - an Indian Superbrand

Countdown to 1 lakh

No windows...and now, no gears.

Cocking a snook at critics and disbelievers (with Maruti Udyog leading the wolfpack), Tata Motors stands firm on its promise to deliver a 'feasible' motor car that costs Rs. 1 lakh (or less) to the Indian consumer and to do so within the next 3 years. Citing the example of the Indica, India's first truly indigenous car, the very idea of which was scoffed at when it was just an idea, group chairman Ratan Tata insists that the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

In fact, plans are also afoot for kickass new version nexts of both the the Indica hatch and the best-in-class Indigo sedan.

Also see:
3 years and still counting
Pakistan's '1 lakh' wonder

Must be true...

I love this ad. Don't you love this ad?

Whatitsnemagain?

How exactly is one supposed to pronounce the name of Tata's new crossover concept?

• The 'Zover'?
• The 'Ksover'?
• The 'Exover'?
• The 'Crossover'?

Also see:
The Best, Worst & Weirdest Car Names

The privilege of being second best...

They may have the country's largest selling car, but they're no longer the country's second largest-selling carmaker. Not for the 6 months from April to December last anyway.

PS: Post title unabashedly 'inspired'. =)

Keeping it fresh

There's nothing like a new product or variant launch to keep you in the consumer's mindspace. Atleast that's what seems to have worked for Ford, Honda, Tata, Maruti and Hyundai (just barely) this year, as new launches, VFM pricing and good fuel efficiency pushed their sales graphs in the right direction.

High Design

Businessworld Magazine and the National Insitute of Design came together to honour the best Indian designs across a wide range of categories in the 2003 Design Excellence Awards.

And in the 4-wheeler automobile category, the jury picked the Tata Indica as the winner. It seems like it would have been a difficult job not to give the Indica the honour as it scored highly on design, practicality and even on the more commercially related parameters.

Indica's silk route

Done with surprising the South Africans, the Tata Indica is now all set to charm the Chinese.

Estatus quo

Indian car buyers continue to be unimpressed by the varied offerings in the station wagon segment, giving the category a complete miss when looking at moving up from a sedan to an SUV. The auto companies, in turn, have reacted differently - while some have stopped production completely, others deliver only on confirmed orders and the rest, quite bafflingly, price them close to their sedan variants.

The B is buzzing

That India runs on compact cars is a fact that's long been evident. That the nation warmed to Hyundai's 'Wah, Kya Xing Hai!' offer during Diwali, therefore, seemed a foregone conclusion - though 27000 bookings in 3 days must have exceeded the expectations of even the most optimistic Hyundai employee. This couldn't have come at a better time for the Santro, as its seen itself lose the lead in the compact car segment to the Tata Indica.