[saket77]

Originally Posted by nijelj

Isn't the Zest's competition all in the 75bhp range,except the Amaze? So Tata is also catering to the market that buys its competitors.The market which buys its competitors are not fully taxis.I haven't come across a xcent Taxi yet.So should we/Tata be worried that it'll get a taxis tag?

You are right in a way, but then old habits and old reputation die hard. When Tata launched the Indica, it was projected as a family car, however, more than families, it became fleet owner's favorite.

From the initial looks of it, it seems that Tata has come out with a fantastic car this time. They look & feel premium. In fact, they can be segment's best in some aspects. They need to target the premium middle class buyers. It is kind of a double edged sword for them. If they keep the prices high and do not offer bare basic versions, they may lose to competition on price sensitive grounds. If they manage to get a no frills version in the lower bracket, their good equation with fleet holders might get activated again. Kind of difficult to manage situation to be in.

But I sincerely hope that adding to fleet ownership is the last thing in TML's mind.

[Latheesh]

We do not have any concrete/official information regarding different variants and feature lists. Why debate on something we do not know?

[amitwlele]

Got a call from Tata Motors for test drive events planned in Pune. There are 6-7 events planned at different locations - Nagar Road, Hinjewadi, Magarpatta, Viman Nagar, TML plant. I have asked him to send the dates and locations in a mail as it was not possible to remember all the dates he mentioned in the call.

There would be 3 cars for the test drive event. But no AMT for test drive in these events. I so wanted to test drive AMT.

[RYP]

Originally Posted by WorkingGuru

Industry-wide, the 1.3mjd+FGT churns 75PS & 1.3mjd+VGT churns 90PS. Ritz / Swift / Dzire - The segment leaders all provide only FGT in 75PS state of tune.

Originally Posted by nijelj

Isn't the Zest's competition all in the 75bhp range,except the Amaze? So Tata is also catering to the market that buys its competitors.The market which buys its competitors are not fully taxis.I haven't come across a xcent Taxi yet.So should we/Tata be worried that it'll get a taxis tag?

Its more likely that Zest will undercut Xcent variant by variant substantially. Lowest sticker price- Bucket loads of space- Reliable diesel motor, these are the perfect ingredients for our taxi market. Add to that TATA's track record for being taxi-friendly over the years. Correct me if i'm wrong, TATA should not axe their last gen products like Indigo CS or Indigo, in this way they can cater to entirely two different sets of people without a taxi-brand image.

[sushantr5]

Talking about pricing I think it will pricier than DZire and XCent. Looking at features and other parameters it sure deserve little more price.

Personally speaking why have allergy of taxi market? But we people have mentality which believes more in show off business than practicability. I see lesser chance of becoming it a taxi as Vista will be there for couple of more years to cater this market. In sedan taxi market, DZire tour and Indigo CS will be better choice.

People do not think DZire Tour is a taxi car, while buying Dzire car. But for TATA people expect everything should be spotless.

[Roomy]

Originally Posted by saket77

When Tata launched the Indica, it was projected as a family car, however, more than families, it became fleet owner's favorite.

Does this not point to the basic fact that the car is a fantastic VFM proposition, cheaper to maintain and highly reliable?
We don't see many Skoda taxi's on the road due to the fact that the taxiwallah's perceive this as exactly opposite to what I just mentioned.

Tata would not price it higher because they have always(Except for the Aria debacle) priced it exactly where the consumers are going to love it.
It cannot be priced higher just to shoo away the taxi segment.

Price it high, you get booed. Price it low, you are targeted at for catering to the taxi segment..brickbats are guaranteed anyday!!

[aseem]

Originally Posted by Roomy

Does this not point to the basic fact that the car is a fantastic VFM proposition, cheaper to maintain and highly reliable?
We don't see many Skoda taxi's on the road due to the fact that the taxiwallah's perceive this as exactly opposite to what I just mentioned.

Tata would not price it higher because they have always(Except for the Aria debacle) priced it exactly where the consumers are going to love it.
It cannot be priced higher just to shoo away the taxi segment.

Price it high, you get booed. Price it low, you are targeted at for catering to the taxi segment..brickbats are guaranteed anyday!!

I don't think Tata being a taxi is a testament to its quality. It was a testament to its perceived "cheapness". As in 150 Rs air filter etc. The plastics were cheap, the interiors were cheap, the body shell aged very poorly. Compared to a 5 year old Swift a 3 year old Indica looked older.

Similarly Logan or Etios becoming taxi was not a testament of what great products they were. They were no nonsense cars cheap to repair.

Having said that Innova, Corolla set an industry benchmark when it came to Taxi's. They were not cheap, just reliable products with amazing ride quality for passengers.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Roomy

....Price it high, you get booed. Price it low, you are targeted at for catering to the taxi segment..brickbats are guaranteed anyday!!

They already have a Indigo CS to cater to the taxi market. If TATA wants a further share, they can reduce the price of the Indigo CS by keeping a good margin with Zest. It's NOT that TATA has to make this available for taxi segment isn't it?

TATA lost a lot of customers due to the taxi image - that has been accepted by bhp'ians even. Keeping the price low will NOT really help TATA from that perspective. The Zest is a better TATA car which means everything that ticks the boxes for the fleet guys stay true for this car as well. The ONLY point that can dissuade them is the price.

[kaviprem]

Originally Posted by aseem

I don't think Tata being a taxi is a testament to its quality. It was a testament to its perceived "cheapness". As in 150 Rs air filter etc. The plastics were cheap, the interiors were cheap, the body shell aged very poorly. Compared to a 5 year old Swift a 3 year old Indica looked older.

Similarly Logan or Etios becoming taxi was not a testament of what great products they were. They were no nonsense cars cheap to repair.

Having said that Innova, Corolla set an industry benchmark when it came to Taxi's. They were not cheap, just reliable products with amazing ride quality for passengers.

Buddy, This is the mindset that I dont understand at all.
When a TATA vehicle gets famous within the TAXI segment, its the poor and cheapness ! However, the Innova is due to its reliability and the ride quality !
I havent seen much of Corolla taxi's unless its a HOTEL ride for their guests.
Oh ! BTW, Everybody would agree ETIOS interior is as good/bad/cheap/hard as Indica. Its just the TOYOTA name that we fall for.

[RSR]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Keeping the price low will NOT really help TATA from that perspective. The Zest is a better TATA car which means everything that ticks the boxes for the fleet guys stay true for this car as well. The ONLY point that can dissuade them is the price.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

It's pretty much given that TATA cars will be picked up by the taxi fleet if priced low. TATA should avoid it for the new products if they want to penetrate the private customer base.

If Tata deliberately price it high (i.e. out of the reach of cabbies), then wouldn't they find it even more difficult to attract private customers? Currently, their reputation is not exactly great with this segment.

Price it high, then it will go the way of the Aria. Price it low, then it will go the way of the Indigo CS. What can they do?

[WorkingGuru]

Originally Posted by RSR

...Price it high, then it goes the way of the Aria. Price it low, then it goes the way of the Indigo CS. What should they do?

Price it high & provide Value Added Services. Say like a free extended warranty, free B-B insurance for 3 years, free Platinum AMC etc.

[amit_mechengg]

Originally Posted by kaviprem

Buddy, This is the mindset that I dont understand at all.
When a TATA vehicle gets famous within the TAXI segment, its the poor and cheapness ! However, the Innova is due to its reliability and the ride quality !
I havent seen much of Corolla taxi's unless its a HOTEL ride for their guests.
Oh ! BTW, Everybody would agree ETIOS interior is as good/bad/cheap/hard as Indica. Its just the TOYOTA name that we fall for.

Very well said + 1

I have traveled multiple times in Etios, and i must say its not a Toyota at all. The seats are so thin like a 6 seater, the plastics are very hard, mainly they are so un-pleasant to look at, the odd placement of ac vents designed by an ugly crooked designer and the ride quality
Its so bumpy. The car goes over a speed breaker and the rear bounces multiple times till it settles. Safety - no comments, the flimsiest of the sheet metal.

But yes, we are indians and believe that Toyota is a gods gift.

But i can confidently say that the Innova is a real gem and a good people mover.

If we change the perception towards Tata being just a Desi company things will really change.

[aseem]

Originally Posted by kaviprem

Buddy, This is the mindset that I dont understand at all.
When a TATA vehicle gets famous within the TAXI segment, its the poor and cheapness ! However, the Innova is due to its reliability and the ride quality !
I havent seen much of Corolla taxi's unless its a HOTEL ride for their guests.
Oh ! BTW, Everybody would agree ETIOS interior is as good/bad/cheap/hard as Indica. Its just the TOYOTA name that we fall for.

Buddy please re-read what I posted. I absolutely can't fantom the Etios. It was as if Toyota was doing favours to us Indian by giving us a Toyota car under 10 lakhs. I don't like the quality at all, simply put off by it. So I agree Etios and a large extent Logan were bad/cheap/hard all of the above as Tata and ended up with the same fate. That is, a market dud, successful as a cab.

But Innova and Corolla are definitely not in the league of Tata Indica or Etios/Logan. Anyone with objective mindset who doesn't own a Tata vehicle will vouch for this. If you can write Indica/Indigo and Innova in the same line (treat them as same) then I feel there is no point left in convincing you.

Cheers.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by aseem

I don't think Tata being a taxi is a testament to its quality. It was a testament to its perceived "cheapness". As in 150 Rs air filter etc. The plastics were cheap, the interiors were cheap, the body shell aged very poorly. Compared to a 5 year old Swift a 3 year old Indica looked older.

Body shell aged poorly compared to a Swift? Hah! This isnt even an Apples to Apples comparison. How about a three year old Ritz/Swift taxi vs a private Indica? My friend had a well maintained Indica Turbo with nary a squeak or a rattle at 80k clicks.

[saket77]

Got some information about the Zest. The Zest is totally different from all Tata cars till date. It reeks of high quality, esp the interiors, probably the best in the segment. The car is a great handler and very flickable. The steering is on the lighter side. Bookings will be open very soon but the car may be launched sometime in August. No body's sure about launch date. The Revotron Engine has made very good impression on the pick up and smoothness front.

The Bolt is a great looker. The production cars may sport smoked headlamps. But launch may not be very soon.