[akhil994]

Originally Posted by payeng

Not without reason I would say. A Negative Image takes years to go away.

For Example, no matter how much good Stuff comes out of China, the "Made in China" tag is hard to dissociate with "China Ka Maal" image in our minds.

I would disagree with that. A "Made in China" iPhone becomes something of a status symbol for us, but a similar "Made in China" phone from any other brand carries that social stigma of being "China Ka Maal"

So yes we are becoming more and more brand conscious and that is reflecting in all our purchase decisions.

[vamsi.kona]

Originally Posted by payeng

For Example, no matter how much good Stuff comes out of China, the "Made in China" tag is hard to dissociate with "China Ka Maal" image in our minds.


Off late, the signs are positive, hope things change around for the better for Tata Motors. The "TATA" brand still has a lot of Equity among Indians, its just that TATA Motors have to change.

Originally Posted by akhil994

I would disagree with that. A "Made in China" iPhone becomes something of a status symbol for us, but a similar "Made in China" phone from any other brand carries that social stigma of being "China Ka Maal"

So yes we are becoming more and more brand conscious and that is reflecting in all our purchase decisions.

As far as the brand value of China is concerned, it is certainly a mixed bag. With regards to 'IPhone' example, I believe it has more to do with the brand 'Apple' rather than where the phone is made. People purchase them because they know that the quality control is still in the hands of Apple.

However, the brand 'China' has nevertheless gained some traction, especially in the mobile phone segment. The number of Chinese brands dominating our market is a testimony to that.
There are two things to this.
1. Pricing of the product
2. Acceptable quality of the product.

So people are willing to consume marginally lower quality product, provided the pricing is far less than the established brands. This is the case at least in the initial stages, to penetrate the market. Probably Tata should consider bringing in a small car and sell it at low margins, just to penetrate the market and regain the confidence showcase that the new products are of far better quality than the yesteryear models and also comparable or better than their rivals.

[blackwasp]

Tata Nexon official website goes live

A new standalone website for the Tata Nexon has just gone live. Currently, prospective customers can only register their interest through the website. That said, Tata Motors is accepting pre-bookings at dealerships across India.

The website also lists some of the design details and features of the Nexon, especially the "feline-eye" shaped DRLs, three-tone dashboard, multi-drive mode selector knob and touchscreen infotainment. Safety features like dual-front airbags, ABS with EBD also get a special mention along with parking assist and push-button start.

Link to Team-BHP News.

[RaghuVis]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Tata Nexon official website goes live

One Line that caught my attention is
Additionally, the system lets you read & reply to text / Whatsapp messages with voice based warnings.

Experts here can you explain.
For a layman, I believe it means that you can reply with voice for sms/whatsapp IM's messages that comes. So If I activate this feature for Whatsapp and one message comes in a group, will an automatic voice reply be posted in group that "Mr/Ms XXX is Driving" ? if yes, this will be fun for me and irritating for all others in the group

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by RaghuVis

One Line that caught my attention is
Additionally, the system lets you read & reply to text / Whatsapp messages with voice based warnings.

Experts here can you explain.
For a layman, I believe it means that you can reply with voice for sms/whatsapp IM's messages that comes. So If I activate this feature for Whatsapp and one message comes in a group, will an automatic voice reply be posted in group that "Mr/Ms XXX is Driving" ? if yes, this will be fun for me and irritating for all others in the group

That is just a feature of Android Auto. On a phone if you have the App installed and launch it during your drives, it switches the phone to a more driving friendly interface. When a WhatsApp, SMS or email msg comes, it shows an option to read out the msg. Below that there is a standard ' I am driving ' msg, only if you touch that it will send it out. Will not send automatically. Also once it plays the msg, it will ask ' Do you want to reply'. If you say 'yes' it will prompt for the message, then play out what it captured and only once you say a yes, it will send it out.

Works quite nicely.

[power ranger]

One thing I do not understand here is Tata's bringing in the so called new products without any clear differentiating factor except possibly the Tiago and to some extent the Hexa. What I am trying to say here is - can anyone tell me what is the advantage Nexon offers over something like Ertiga, which has an advantage of atleast accommodating 4 adults and 2 kids ( not to mention the Maruti herd mentality and apparent peace of mind )? The same mistake they did by launching Tigor without 4 cylinder engine. I as a customer may buy Ertiga instead of Nexon. The only killing differentiator would have been had Nexon came in with 4x4. Can anyone please help me understand. Also, dont tell me I need to buy this car for interiors or the Harman system . Is anyone listening at Tata Motors ?

[sachinayak]

Originally Posted by power ranger

One thing I do not understand here is Tata's bringing in the so called new products without any clear differentiating factor except possibly the Tiago and to some extent the Hexa. What I am trying to say here is - can anyone tell me what is the advantage Nexon offers over something like Ertiga, which has an advantage of atleast accommodating 4 adults and 2 kids ( not to mention the Maruti herd mentality and apparent peace of mind )? The same mistake they did by launching Tigor without 4 cylinder engine. I as a customer may buy Ertiga instead of Nexon. The only killing differentiator would have been had Nexon came in with 4x4. Can anyone please help me understand. Also, dont tell me I need to buy this car for interiors or the Harman system . Is anyone listening at Tata Motors ?

Honestly, if you do not want to buy any car, there are way too many reasons.

People may want to buy the Nexon purely for its best-in-class diesel engine (at least on paper). Some may want to buy it because it has decent safety equipment even in the base trim. Some may want to buy it because its the only one to offer a floating display and a wearable key. But if you don't want to buy, well the list of reasons is endless.

BTW, the not-so-great engine is a deal breaker for the Tigor, but the seemingly-so-great engine on the Nexon is not a big deal? Not so sure, why?

[Hickstead]

Originally Posted by power ranger

I as a customer may buy Ertiga instead of Nexon. The only killing differentiator would have been had Nexon came in with 4x4. Can anyone please help me understand. Also, dont tell me I need to buy this car for interiors or the Harman system . Is anyone listening at Tata Motors ?

People who are buying an Ecosport or a Brezza instead of Ertiga can buy Nexon as well, if they feel it as VFM and also if they do not consider the perception of TATA brand, after the price announcement. Yes, a Music system alone can not get some one to hit the floors of TATA showroom.

[power ranger]

Originally Posted by Hickstead

People who are buying an Ecosport or a Brezza instead of Ertiga can buy Nexon as well, if they feel it as VFM and also if they do not consider the perception of TATA brand, after the price announcement. Yes, a Music system alone can not get some one to hit the floors of TATA showroom.

Now coming to Hickstead's comment that anyone buying Ecosport or Brezza can buy Nexon, this is the point I am trying to make - Tata cannot afford to survive on spill over sales, they should have a hard to resist product. Given their experience creating 4x4 vehicles right from Safari times, they should have given Nexon a 4x4 thats a new segment - Compact SUV. otherwise it may get lost in the world of KUVs and TUVs. That what I feel

[Nissan1180]

Originally Posted by power ranger

One thing I do not understand here is Tata's bringing in the so called new products without any clear differentiating factor except possibly the Tiago and to some extent the Hexa.

Coming back to the point about differentiation, I believe this is a product that's targeted for folks who have a small family and need a car that has good ground clearance, good engine, fantastic interiors at a fantastic price. The Ertiga is a good car, as long as you don't drive it on uneven roads. It does not have good noise insulation on bad roads, and the suspension can be called average at best. When it comes to the overall feel of the product, it doesn't feel anywhere as desirable as a contemporary Tata (Tigor/Hexa). I like the Ertiga and if I needed a car that I could drive around the city without bothering about fuel costs, I'd have picked the Ertiga VXI CNG for sure. However, given an option, I'd prefer to have better interiors, better ICE and a better engine. That's what the Nexon offers- at a slightly lower price (hopefully).

You raise a very valid point about the Ertiga being a strong competitor. In fact, most Indian families will think in the way you mentioned. No one buys a car for an ICE or the interior quality- they look at the overall package. That's why the pricing would be so critical for the success of this product. If they make the top trim diesel available for anything more than 9.5-10 Lakhs, I'm sure the car won't do well at all. They have to price it like the Zest.

Now that you raised this point about 7 seats, I'm sure that the TUV 300 will be an important competitor too, not just the Brezza and the Ecosport. The pricing will decide the fate of this product, and Tata knows this very well. I completely agree with your observation that there needs to be a strong differentiating factor that makes this a real SUV.

The more I think about it, the more I feel that a basic 4x4 setup could have made it invincible. Think about the Maruti Gypsy. Despite being a 3 decade old product with no change in design, interior or powertrain, they manage to sell a few units even today. The Thar is another example- no safety features, poor noise insulation and terrible rear seats. Yet, it is a good off roader and manages to sell at close to 9 Lakh INR. Maybe the marketing folks at Tata conducted a customer survey in which the need for a 4x4 was not raised by any of the subjects. That's the problem with surveys-a customer doesn't always know what he'd like to pay for. That's why companies like Apple invest so much in making products that beat customer expectations. Hopefully, someday Tata would be able to anticipate preferences and make their great products even better.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by power ranger

What I am trying to say here is - can anyone tell me what is the advantage Nexon offers over something like Ertiga

Personally (I repeat, personally)

Nexon: I like what I see. I like what I have heard, Excited about pricing since its an Indian Product (hence VFM). Want to Experience it Personally Next

Ertiga: Er.. Well, I'd rather book a taxi/cab

[power ranger]

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

Coming back to the point about differentiation, I believe this is a product that's targeted for folks who have a small family and need a car that has good ground clearance, good engine, fantastic interiors at a fantastic price.

If this was the market need then I guess we have had Punto with all the things you mentioned small family, good ground clearance, good engine - but it did not go anywhere in numbers

The Ertiga is a good car, as long as you don't drive it on uneven roads - this is exactly where I am calling for off roading capability as a differentiator

When it comes to the overall feel of the product, it doesn't feel anywhere as desirable as a contemporary Tata (Tigor/Hexa) - forget Hexa a different segment, coming to desirability Tigor is already declared a dud I guess, everyone rejecting saying it does not have a full fledged 4 cylinder engine

I am just playing devil's advocate here given that people just are hesistant to buy Tata products. I am not one of them and have plonked close to 20 lakhs of my money on Tata vehicles. I will trade in my safari happily if they get me a 4x4 Nexon

[Nav-i-gator]

Most of our choices in life center around listening to our heads over our heart (the "sensible choice") and doing the "most acceptable" thing. At times you come across a decision dilemma where making that "sensible decision" becomes difficult, because the heart's choice (and hence heart's voice) is too strong to shrug off, while head too is not dead against it.

A celerio or an ertiga for example, is purely a "sensible choice", I doubt anyone love these cars from their heart. S-cross 1.6 (over 1.3l) or a GT TSI is an example of classic "heart or head duel" - buzzing our hearts while not completely off from being sensible too. Nexon (so far, how it looks as a package) seems like one such vehicle.

(An abarth Punto, or 2-door polo GT are at the other end of spectrum - the rash choices, completely devoid of any rationality )

[payeng]

Originally Posted by Nav-i-gator

Most of our choices in life center around listening to our heads over our heart (the "sensible choice") and doing the "most acceptable" thing.


(An abarth Punto, or 2-door polo GT are at the other end of spectrum - the rash choices, completely devoid of any rationality )

In the Two Wheeler World, a Classic and Current example is the Royal Enfield Classic... I Mean WHY?

[akhil994]

Originally Posted by power ranger

I am just playing devil's advocate here given that people just are hesistant to buy Tata products. I am not one of them and have plonked close to 20 lakhs of my money on Tata vehicles. I will trade in my safari happily if they get me a 4x4 Nexon

As has been discussed umpteen times in the forum, the platform on which the car is based cannot accommodate a rear differential, hence no 4x4. Also the people who are looking for 4x4 vis a vis the cost of the vehicle are very few in number like on this forum.

But this forum does not decide the sales number, else zest which was the COTY in 2014, would be topping sales charts in its segment.

The general public decides the sales volume and for them the cost matters, hence the cost of plonking a 4x4 could not be justified since it would have raised the cost quite a bit.