[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by GTO

@ Tata Motors: Please SIMPLIFY.

GTO there is a book Investing Between the Lines: How to Make Smarter Decisions By Decoding CEO Communications

One of the chapter in the book says:

Anyone looking for information in shareholder letters knows how difficult this can be. Many are littered with jargons and platitudes. But when investors tell me they can’t understand what a CEO is trying to say, they have already gained vital information. If the communication doesn’t make sense or is full of spin, ask yourself: Does the CEO not understand the business, or is he hiding something? Did the board of directors and the executive team read the letter? If so, why didn’t anyone tell the CEO it needed a critical review?

So we know what this is!

[hybridpetrol]

“With TAMO, we are starting a new era. The idea is to find new and agile ways of innovating and experimenting. Our success in this new mobility world will be contingent to our ability to network globally and to partner with new thought leaders. Our focus will be to scout for new technologies and to explore opportunities at the innovation hubs across the globe and to work with start-ups in the new spaces. Since this requires a different way of thinking, we will apply within TAMO also, new ways of working because leadership is all about time to market.”

From the above statements, they seem to mean that they want to speed up their time to market, and also access global technologies and innovate.
I fail to understand the need to create a new brand. May be this is one strategy to come out of the negativity associated with the brand Tata in passenger vehicle space. But then, the name TAMO does not create any excitement either, as it is simply a short form of Tata Motors, and also a poor imitation of the new very popular NaMo.
We should wait till the Geneva motor show now, to know what this sub brand is going to bring - whether a full fledged car, or just a turbocharger and some stickers. Since the show is just a month away, would it be too far fetched to assume Nexon would be launched as TaMo Nexon - the Nexa way?

[RSR]

Originally Posted by Vinodh_Gowda

Main Brand -> 'TA'ta 'MO'tors
Sub-Brand -> TAMO

New sub-brand, I mean seriously? Where else will we find an example wherein the main-brand and the sub-brand are the same.

Right here:

Main brand --> NISsan MOtor Company

Sub-brand --> NISMO (i.e. Nissan's performance, tuning & motorsport division)

Nismo actually comes from Nissan Motorsport. NISsan MOtorsport -> NIS + MO -> NISMO

It isn't necessarily a bad thing for Tata to take inspiration from Nissan & Nismo. However, from the looks of it, Tamo would not be an exclusively performance oriented sub-brand. I wish it becomes one!

[N.r.K]

I think Tamo was set up to deal with all the "legacy" issues that tata motors has!

Every once in a while, solely because of their reputation, if people can go so much on the offensive against tata motors even on an enthusiast's site like teambhp. They have no chance of doing anything meaningful in the market with the current set up.
Most people won't even go into tata showrooms to start with! Forget about buying them.

This gives them a chance to kind of start over.
Simplify processes. Set new chains. And create new experiences.
I think Tata is trying to create a disruptive, startup kind of environment right within the company. A kind of Tesla within Tata motors.

Its an exciting experiment. Will it succeed? I don't know. The tata brand has a lot of baggage. Not just from its auto business. But then again, if titan, fasttrack and tanisq can successfully give themselves a separate identity miles apart from the group's, then why not Tamo?

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

The fact that a car might create a 'Halo effect' should be a byproduct of making a great car. Not the primary aim.

Also, getting press isn't the same as creating a Halo effect.

Absolutely. You first create something outstanding and then your name becomes famous, not the other way round!

Originally Posted by GTO

I've read it thrice and still fail to understand the *exact* purpose of TAMO. It only gives a vague idea, without any specifics. If anyone asks me what exactly TAMO does, I honestly have no clue.

Hahaha. I just had a lavish lunch (TGIF) and then read this press release. I am laughing so much that I am getting stomach cramps!

[RSR]

I find folks referring to Tata Motors' work culture as being similar to that of a typical government department/organisation. At the same time, others praise the Tata brand Titan (& its child brands like Tanishq & Fastrack) for its fantastic success at building a good, solid brand image.

Irony of ironies!

Titan Company is actually a partly government-owned organisation, with the government of TN in fact being the single largest shareholder (through TIDCO), while Tata Motors has very, very little government shareholding (either directly or indirectly)!!!

Just hilarious!

[Latheesh]

Pratap Bose tweeted this picture - slightly different angle

[N.r.K]

Originally Posted by RSR

I find folks referring to Tata Motors' work culture as being similar to that of a typical government department/organisation. At the same time, others praise the Tata brand Titan (& its child brands like Tanishq & Fastrack) for its fantastic success at building a good, solid brand image.

Irony of ironies!

Titan Company is actually a partly government-owned organisation, with the government of TN in fact being the single largest shareholder (through TIDCO), while Tata Motors has very, very little government shareholding (either directly or indirectly)!!!

Just hilarious!

That is true and funny!
There are a few professionally run PSUs too. But thats another topic.

But one visit to most tata motor showrooms, service centers just shows what I meant. Can Tamo become a Titan? That's the question!

[karthi.stark]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Here it is, they are going to open the cover on 7-Mar @ Geneva

This car looks like the Chevrolet Corvette according to me. I don't understand the point of introducing sports cars in India. The last thing I need with the road conditions worsening day by day in cities is a sports car with a low ground clearance.
In other countries, sports edition of vehicles usually come with increased torque and acceleration, but in our country, sports edition is basically the same car with a sticker on the back or on the side of the vehicle with a few changes on the exterior features. How is it a sports edition then?!

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by karthi.stark

This car looks like the Chevrolet Corvette according to me. I don't understand the point of introducing sports cars in India. The last thing I need with the road conditions worsening day by day in cities is a sports car with a low ground clearance.
In other countries, sports edition of vehicles usually come with increased torque and acceleration, but in our country, sports edition is basically the same car with a sticker on the back or on the side of the vehicle with a few changes on the exterior features. How is it a sports edition then?!

You need to make up your mind what you want here. In one statement you are saying real sports cars are not for Indian roads and follow up by another complaining we don't get real sports car in India. If you decide to pick problems either way, you will need to wait till the actual announcement comes. Don't show your hand too soon, else you might be left with nothing to bash about.

On a serious note, in my opinion, this seems to be about an innovation center which might be consumed by the parent company and others too. Not sure what will make it different from the usual R&D divisions.

[Ferruccio]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

The Nano was not really low investment, nor are any of the cars they sell today and despite that, they don't succeed on that all important word, Reliability.

When was the last time you drove or owned a Nano. I own a Nano and it is as flawless as my City. In Colombo I have seen Nano Taxis with 3.8 Lakhs on the Odo and none too worse for the wear.

It is a sad day that those passing judgement on an Indian brand are those who would not be seen dead with anything Indian. Just read any British review of British made automotive products. See the pride and support with which they regard their products!

Originally Posted by Vinodh_Gowda

Where else will we find an example wherein the main-brand and the sub-brand are the same.

Err. . . NisMo? And where is the stone tablet where it is carved that a brand owner shall not be allowed to choose the brand name he chooses? Also, TaMo has been used by the 'pink papers' or the financial press as the abbreviation for Tata Motors for over a decade.

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by smartcat

One key question I have is how can a TAMO car be low investment and low volume at the same time. The only possibility is adding new technologies to an existing model like Tiago. Low investment means TAMO cars will not have a new chassis/body/dashboard etc.

When they mean low volume, they may mean that TAMO will not manufacture anything for the market - As you said, they may not have a new chassis or dashboard, or they may just limit themselves to prototypes or concept cars

[Latheesh]

Here is another TAMO teaser

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Ferruccio

It is a sad day that those passing judgement on an Indian brand are those who would not be seen dead with anything Indian. Just read any British review of British made automotive products. See the pride and support with which they regard their products

To respond, I need to go a little off topic.

I drove the very first lot of Nano's that were rolled out. Possibly the first to be delivered in the state I reside. A company called Master Plannery (No such word in the dictionary) bought close to a dozen of them for their employees. I liked the car but it did now wow me. In fact, I like the design of the Nano over the Mahindra E2O.

I have a soft spot for the Nano to the extent that I was once considering the AMT for my wife. The dimensions of the Nano was another plus. After reading the review, the lack of power and poor brakes were plenty enough for me to rule out the car. This problem is not new to the car though. It was reported when the Nano was launched and these problems exist even today. If the company can't address certain core issues that have been reported for close to a decade, that's no good is it? I'll admit, the Nano sold today is very different to the one I drove. It is a well equipped car and quality has improved.

Let us not begin to compare British made products to what is Made in India. I own some and I know the difference. Yes; there are Indian made products that are outstanding but it ain't TATA for me. Come to think of it, I feel TATA have achieved more with their Prima trucks than any heavy vehicle manufacturer out there.

As GTO has said, the motive behind TAMO is all up in the air. We will have to wait and see what happens.

[toothless]

The teasers on the TAMO website are quite interesting. The latest pic (days remaining 25) has the text "SOON WE’LL HAVE CARS THAT LEAVE NO CARBON FOOTPRINTS, ONLY CARS BEHIND" (sorry for the caps, I copied the text directly from their website).

I suspect they might show off an electric or a hybrid sports car at the Geneva motor show. Given the lack of success of their products over the past few years, I am glad they are not going the GM or Fiat way. They are putting in the effort to actually come out with great products (Tiago, Hexa and Kite5 etc). Hopefully, they see some success in the Indian PV market soon.