Comments on: Tata Motors. Profile of an Indian Car Company in Trouble

By: Jack Baruth

Jack Baruth — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:19:22 +0000

I admire Mr. Tata for his determination to put his people on wheels, but the Nano and its inevitable competition would have amounted to a climatological apocalypse. Assuming you believe in AGW, that is.

It would be better, from a resource consumption standpoint, to simply wave a magic wand and turn every new car on sale in the United States into an Escalade ESV.

By: Kurt.

Kurt. — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:41:11 +0000

Geo. Levecque asked “why should the UK Taxpayer pay for them to make Cars?”

Because those cars are STILL built in the UK, with (some say) UK workers. If Tata has to close those plants, the UK will be paying anyway with unemployment and lost wages in their communities.

I could be way off base here but aren’t the Rover engines built in Germany? Maybe the Germans will fess up some cash too? Time to go a beggin’…

By: Ronnie Schreiber

Ronnie Schreiber — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:09:48 +0000

The protesters said that tenant farmers were evicted.

My impression is that the protests had more to do with the political agenda of the Trinamool Congress party than with protecting tenant farmers.

By: yankinwaoz

yankinwaoz — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:18:46 +0000

So what was the protest about that managed to close a factory that was so close to completion? Did they build on top of someone else’s property? Was it built on a sacred site? Or was it trouble makers looking for a payoff to “go away”.

By: Ronnie Schreiber

Ronnie Schreiber — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:14:13 +0000

Jaguar scat

They must use a very large box of kitty litter.

By: Ronnie Schreiber

Ronnie Schreiber — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:12:39 +0000

I think M&M is in a better position to export here than Tata, and as a runner up in the market they have room to grow.

That’s because Mahindra has some light trucks and SUVs that are closer to the needs of this market than anything Tata currently sells, though Tata’s Ace commercial vehicle might make sense as a delivery truck in Manhattan.

Either way, I think there will be an Indian vehicle for sale in the US before a Chinese one.

By: Ronnie Schreiber

Ronnie Schreiber — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:07:58 +0000

I’m not so sure inflation will continue to be a problem in India. Most of the inflation was due to a fast growing economy. With the global recession there’s not that much growth in the BRIC economies.

The problems w/ the Nano plant were primarily due to political maneuvering. The local state government (Communists, btw) wanted the plant but their opposition saw it as a wedge issue.

By: Ralph Kinney Bennett

Ralph Kinney Bennett — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:38:26 +0000

I agree with Mike Stevens that the Nano is a heroic effort by Tata to bring an affordable car to the Indian masses. But Tata is long past its “humble beginnings.” It is and has been a major automotive industry player in India and beyond. Its trucks and industrial vehicles are huge in Asia and its amazingly agile and versatile little half-ton pickup truck, the Ace, is a phenomenon among Indian farmers and small businessmen. Ratan Tata, the chairman of Tata and the dreamer behind the Nano is, indeed, a bold and resourceful man. Don’t count Tata out yet. The bigger problem, in the dim background at the moment, is the powerful forces within the Indian government who are anti-car and very uneasy about a vehicle other than a motor scooter or a motorized rickshaw coming within reach of ordinary citizens.

By: Mike Stevens

Mike Stevens — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:54:39 +0000

I think the Nano is an admirable, extremely ballsy attempt at redefining the automobile in a very Indian way. No, it’s not a car in the sense that you and I know them, but it does have the potential to mobilize and accelerate the economic growth of one of the world’s largest societies. Too bad that the current economic climate will make the Nano an almost impossible proposition anytime soon, and especially difficult to price at the level touted to the world. Too bad for Tata, which could have used what they learned with the Nano and other homegrown offerings (coupled with the engineering know how they will learn from owning Jag and Land Rover) to eventually develop a credible, world-competitive high-volume car. But, maybe it’s good news for GM and the other hometown companies that another car company with the potential to be like Hyundai someday isn’t going to reach adolescence anytime soon in India. As Toyota, Nissan, and (more recently) Hyundai have proved, humble beginnings don’t necessarily mean a humble future.

By: Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:41:33 +0000

Tata was already in trouble when the “local protests” stopped the factory. Some said the local protests were most welcome. The second plant never materialized. Tata’s (mis-) fortunes are built on steel. Steel went from boom to bust in Summer of 2008. Nuff said.

By: oldyak

oldyak — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:25:11 +0000

This really sucks!
I was really looking forward to seeing the Nano go into production.
Even though it may not have met it target price,as an enthusiast,I was looking forward to the development of the car from its concept.
And PLEASE don’t blame America for this failure!
Indian car
Indian Exec`s
Greed and pompousness is universal!
Maybe only a ‘nut’ like Henry Ford could could really do it?
Food for thought…..

By: romanjetfighter

romanjetfighter — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:05:34 +0000

It’s 20 million rupees and the whole movie is about flashbacks. I lost interest an hour in, but it was nice.

By: Robert.Walter

Robert.Walter — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:43:58 +0000

It is yet to be proven if the Nano can achieve those lofty mpg figures and still meet normal western expectations for crash-safety and emissions …

By: no_slushbox

no_slushbox — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:27:32 +0000

Jeff Puthuff:

I haven’t seen it either, I’ve just read a review. After learning that the whole plot was just getting on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” I decided it wasn’t worth watching. It could be the British version, in which case it would be 1 million Pounds, but even that isn’t what it used to be.

By: Geo. Levecque

Geo. Levecque — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:25:22 +0000

I can see that Tata Motors will soon not be able to get out of the hole when they purchased those two British Brands, as they are not British anymore, why should the UK Taxpayer pay for them to make Cars? Maybe someone from the UK could comment on this please.

By: John Horner

John Horner — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:14:47 +0000

“The Tata Nano is a 52 MPG (city) and 61 MPG (road) car. How can Tata even remotely be in trouble?”

Because the factory they built to build the Nano is never going to open, and now they are scrambling to figure out how to move the factory.

By: Jeff Puthuff

Jeff Puthuff — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:06:12 +0000

no_slushbox, I’ve not seen the movie. Is it 1 million rupees or dollars?

By: KixStart

KixStart — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:39:30 +0000

toxicroach, “You don’t make money on the cars you’re going to build.”

You might mention that to GM, too.

By: Lokkii

Lokkii — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:25:31 +0000

England tells Jaguar scat, or is it Tata?

By: toxicroach

toxicroach — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:15:13 +0000

The Nano isn’t being made would be problem #1. To misquote Henry Ford, You don’t make money on the cars you’re going to build.

By: no_slushbox

no_slushbox — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:14:45 +0000

If only Tata could get onto “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and win.

By: lzaffuto

lzaffuto — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:13:45 +0000

“Green” car does not necessarily equal “good” car. That stands for Tata AND Detroit…

By: vww12

vww12 — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:04:10 +0000

The Tata Nano is a 52 MPG (city) and 61 MPG (road) car.

How can Tata even remotely be in trouble?

I keep hearing that if Detroit would only produce “green” cars, then all of their problems would magically be whisked away.

The Tata will be out before the Volt…

By: GS650G

GS650G — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:02:34 +0000

I think M&M is in a better position to export here than Tata, and as a runner up in the market they have room to grow.