Worth of Hype..??

I feel ....we don’t give TATA motors enough credit for being a pioneer. Isn't it...??

The original Indica was the first hatchback to be launched in the late 90’s with space of an Amby within an engravation not much larger than a Maruti’s. But now everybody’s doing similarly sized and frugal hatches facing fierce competition, all we remember the Indica, is for poor quality plastics used and the plethora of badly driven cabs.

The Nano – nobody can deny it’s a revolution but all we hear these days is how it’s not a complete car, how not enough are being made and ofcourse only recently TV channels were flooded with reports of a potential fire problem.

Take the Indigo instead, it pioneered the entry-level sedan segment with a mere formula of “stick-a-boot-on-to-a-hatch” but after an initially a run away success look who’s making hay in the segment – Maruti with the Swift Dzire. But unlike the Indica or the Sumo(so right for their time at launch but so wrong so now) Tata motors is not giving up in this segment without a fight. With the hot off the press launch of Indigo Manza, this is for sure that TATA motors has found the mojo again.

In-stable it has the furious Safari, the boxy and ugly Sumo Grande Mark II, new Xenon. But all of them are prominently known for their poor build quality, creakings and boundless maintainence bills.

Whatever it’s, afterall it’s the TATA motors who built the first fully Indian diesel Hatch -the Indica and Vista following, the 1^st fully Indian Sedan – The Indigo and Manza then, the 1^st Indian MUV – the mighty Sumo, 1^st Indian SUV – massive Safari suffixed with a tagline “Reclaim your Life..!!” was like awe inspiring one. It has atleast convinced me to say like “Hats Off …….”. Now only if TATA motors could percolate some of the lessons learnt from the Manza – particularly on how to strengthen its quality – down to Vista, people might just stop with the call-centre cabbie jokes.