Tata Motors - Truly, a trend-setter

Tata Motors has this rare ability of splitting opinions whenever it comes for discussion in any forum. One complaint that almost everybody seems to have against Tata is the poor fit and finish and the sub-par level of quality in their cars. Agreed, Tata models are at the bottom of their segments as far as quality is concerned and in most cases, a one year old Tata will have more squeaks and rattles than a five year old competitor. But, let’s also not forget that Tata came into the business of making cars only in late nineties and they have made remarkable progress since then, the flagship Aria being a case in point. But, there is still a long way to go.

As much as we loathe the company for this, we ought to love Tata for a different reason – for being a trendsetter, not just in the Indian stage but on the global stage. When every other company and their bosses said that it is not possible to make and sell a car at that price, Tata proved them all wrong and launched the Nano to a stunned audience. Now, there are already news of an improved, feature-rich version and a common-rail diesel variant of the Nano hitting the market. I bet that, going into the future, the Nano platform would give rise to a number of models that are sure to succeed big-time. The Pixel Concept, based on the Nano platform, was a stunner and quite obviously, vowed the global audience.

Talking about platforms, how can we ever forget what Tata did with its Ace mini truck? They set a precedent, succeeded in their attempt, extracted every penny of investment that they made, maximized the utilization of the platform and more than anything else, forced every other competitor to follow them into that segment for survival. The Ace killed the three-wheeler load-carriers and went on to become a huge success. Tata did not sit still. Instead, they launched so many other variants in the same platform starting from the Super Ace and Ace Magic to the recent Venture, Ace Zip and Magic Iris. Even after launch, a lot of these models are still being tested hinting that more is in store for us.

By any chance, if you happen to visit Pune where one of the main manufacturing plants of Tata Motors is located, keep your eyes wide open. You can see every vehicle in the Tata stable from the diminutive Ace Zip to Indica to Aria to buses to heavy-duty trucks continuously being tested for various reasons. These are signs of a company that is not sitting still but working hard to improve with every subsequent model. The fact is, apart from Mahindra to a lesser extent, only Tata Motors has the real potential to become a world-class automobile manufacturer from India and they are well on track for becoming one. All they need is a little more time, a lot more new models and loads of belief and loyalty from us Indians. Go Tata, go!

What do I call this weird three-wheeler? EDIT: It's a Bajaj PTV

Look at what I saw in Pune a couple of days back. Jostling for space among the ‘big’ cars and ‘huge’ auto-rickshaws, this tiny cute thingy was attracting stares from everybody around. Going by the adjectives that I gave for cars and auto-rickshaws, you would have guessed the size of this. Yes, it was just about half the size of an auto-rickshaw. Luckily, the attached snap also has a Bajaj RE auto-rickshaw, from which this seems to be conceived.

I was shocked and surprised to see this toy-like vehicle moving around comfortably in the hustle and bustle of Pune city traffic. If I had noticed right in the few seconds that I got to see it, it looked like it can accommodate two people. Unlike in two-wheelers, the good thing is that the occupants can remain protected from the elements. But, it was so unusually small that, for a moment, I thought it would go right underneath our buses and trucks.

Jokes apart, this seems to be a nice idea for commuting in thickly congested areas. Imagine how much fuel and space could be saved if this is widely used instead of cars for short commutes inside the city? Don’t ask me about its safety though. Then again, compared to our two-wheelers, this should be more than a match. To whoever conceived this for whatever reason, I just have a message to say - though a little weird, the idea is nice, very nice!

EDIT: Apparently, it seems that the above nice idea is a concept by Bajaj in the 1980's and it was christened 'PTV - Personal Transport Vehicle'. It's quite a feat by Bajaj in that time period to have found out a mobility solution for a small family in our thickly congested cities. For whatsoever reasons, this didn't make it to production which is a pity as this could have easily done what the Tata Nano intended to but couldn't, that is, made a whole lot of families upgrade to a safer and more comfortable mode of transport. Thanks to the popular Team-BHP website for bringing this fact into light. Great going Bajaj, now we know where your R&D abilities came from! 

Force Motors SUV seen testing again

Now, this is turning out to be a regular affair. Once again, the new SUV from Force Motors was spotted testing near Pune. The huge size of the vehicle makes sure that you don’t miss it even when going in the opposite direction. Even after so many spy-shots doing rounds in the internet over the past year or so, there seems to be absolutely no firm date from Force Motors about the launch of this SUV. Given the rigorous testing that it is undergoing, we can only assume that the model, when launched, would be worth the long wait.

All we know about the vehicle is that it is closely based on the Chinese Guangdong Foday Explorer III, not quite a benchmark in the first place. Just google the name and what you see will be a big, outdated looking Chinese SUV. The interiors, though not bad, are not too impressive either. But, it is definitely much better than any of the current models from Force Motors. Another much-publicized fact is that the power-train and drive-train of this new SUV is from Mercedes-Benz and it’s handling was tuned with the help of experts from Lotus.

There are widespread rumors going around that the company is planning to position this SUV as a premium lifestyle vehicle. But, will the exteriors and interiors be given some significant tweaks to make it look like one? Will the much-touted power-train, drive-train and handling of this SUV be in line with what we expect from such stalwarts like Mercedes-Benz and Lotus? Only Force Motors can answer these questions by launching this SUV as soon as possible. Let the wait continue!

Bajaj launches Kawasaki Ninja 650R in India

If there ever was a better time to 'Go Green', it is right now, as Bajaj has launched the Kawasaki Ninja 650R in India at an astonishing price of Rs 4.57 Lakhs. At this price, the Ninja 650R will not just blow away the competition from the likes of Hyosung GT650R, but will also cannibalize the sales of the smaller Ninja 250R.

This internationally-acclaimed bike is powered by a 649cc, liquid cooled, parallel twin engine with a power output of 72 PS and a torque rating of 66 Nm. The stand-out features of the Ninja 650R include twin petal discs upfront, digital instrument console (which was shockingly missing in the Ninja 250R) and an unique-looking shorter exhaust that ends before the pillion rider's leg-rest.

The bike is available in India in only the Kawasaki Racing Green color. But, I don't see people complaining for this as the Ninja lovers will go for nothing but green anyway. The gorgeous looking twin headlamps, the side fairing, the contoured seats, the long grab-rails and the small but powerful taillamps together ensure that the bike turns heads whereever you go.

The Ninja 650R is the perfect transition for a rider from 220 cc bikes before going in for the liter class super bikes. And at just Rs 4.57 Lakh, Bajaj has brought a truly international sports bike experience with full sales and service backup within the reach of a majority of young Indians. Way to go Bajaj! Now, start saving to go green!

Audi celebrates 40 Years of Vorsprung durch Technik

Let us be clear. This is not an usual milestone that we get to see often like a 'n' millionth number of a particular car being produced by a particular company. But this is no less significant either. This is about an ad caption that was created way back to signify the common values of a brand that was having a diverse line-up of models and trying to grow beyond its German horizons.

In 2011, 40 years down the line, the caption still takes prime place in the company's ads and signifies the value of the brand just as perfectly as it did in 1971 when it was first created. The brand in question is Audi and it's caption 'Vorsprung Durch Technik'. Translated in English, the phrase means 'Advancement Through Technology' which is precisely what Audi is doing in its models.

That the caption was formed in its native German language did not make it any less popular outside Germany. In fact, in India where anything foreign catches the attention of the public, it became a style statement whenever someone has to refer to the brand. When Audi was introduced in our market, the caption was as much of a rage as the cars themselves.

With a global lineup extending from the sub-compact A1 to the R8 supercar, some of the recent technological innovations of Audi include aluminium spaceframe construction, all-LED lighting, the award-winning 2.5-liter 5-cylinder TFSI engine and the MMI Interface with Google mapping functionality. I just have a humble request to Audi - Lassen Sie die Innovationen weiter!