DRB-HICOM is currently evaluating whether or not to keep the Tata franchise in Malaysia, according to DRB-HICOM group managing director Datuk Mohd Khamil Jamil. Options currently are the logical three – A) keep as is, B) expand, or C) let go. According to Business Times, DRB-HICOM officials will be meeting up with representatives from Tata in May 2008 to discuss the future of the brand in Malaysia.
The current agreement between DRB-HICOM 70% owned Scott & English (M) Sdn Bhd and Tata Motors will expire by June 2008.
Tata is currently ramping up efforts in our region, with the new Tata Xenon (shown above) launched in Thailand not too long ago. Tata has been constantly featured in world headlines for the past few months thanks to its Tata Nano low cost car project and its recent acquisition of the Jaguar and Land Rover premium brands.
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Maybe just maintain how it is. Not too sure Nano will be a hit in Malaysia. It will be a dangerous car to drive though.
Don’t bring in the nano….. Although it mayb cheap, but how fast can the thing go??? how safe is it???? how efficient is it???? 4 drum brakes is 2 dangerous to use in malaysian road….. 1 thing…… why nano is displayed in the geneva show where else our proton not????? weird……. nano is cheap… it’s better than motorcycle but it is still, to me a crappy car…….. if tata would want to keep it in malaysia, they should come out with marketing strategies since the owned jag and land rover……
faizfadil watever u asked is bull$hit crap that is typical of nouveau ricn Bolehland mentality. Dekat rumah nasi lemak tak mampu, tapi bila keluar nak Starbuck sahaja. Whether is drum or discs, what difference does it make to u? Even with so called ABS, EBD and other crap have u seen how many Bolehland drivers skid when there is even a slight drizzle? It doesnt make any damn difference. Besides, Tata is a family conglomerate, not government pampered, retarded, spastic car maker like P1. If we dont bring Tata here, its our loss. I think it doesnt really matter what WE think about Tata. The big economies matter more. Wat is weird is, if they do bring Nano, it will benefit those lower income poor groups who need special help and policies…………..i wonder who???
gosh… i have a strong doubt on the indian car maker… previously i manage to see quite a number of tata pick up trucks in yellow and blue and some silver… but currently i wonder where those trucks have gone? last few days i manage to spot one blue color de, guess wat? the truck keep screeching while its moving on the road… pls don let tata land on our land, we would buy proton instead of tata ok?
They should keep the Tata and bring us the Nano… Then less people will be riding on a motorcycle…
Hyundai,
I scared that when more motorcycle rider upgrade to Nano, then KL city centre road sure jam like crazy esp during rush hours.
haih, got Nano oso problem, got no nano oso can be problem…
The Tata Xenon is a big hit in many parts of the world. It has a 2.2 L diesel direct injection common rail and variable geometry turbo. Looks nice and affordable. So any comment?
I think Tata can be considered as good cars/trucks whatever. Maybe.
I have seen a few old TATA busses and lories doing well on our roads, judging from the number plates must be around 1970s and 1980s. Should be good right?
I used to go to school in a TATA schoolbus.
i think the previous tata pickup truck was a big failure, that even my neighbour traded in for a toyota hilux. least don’t let someones shortcoming fool you. even our locally made proton savvy ends up in a recall. toyota has their own recall in their camry’s in the usa, so its no big deal. once people are willing to try a brand, then if they are satisfied, they will come back for more
easy decision, just say ‘tata’ to Tata,hahahahahahahaha
just kidding.
popularize jaguar and land rover first before bringing in the nano
Almost every brand brought in by DRB-HICOM turns to dust, so is it a problem with the brands or a problem with DRB-HICOM?
to bavarian,
are you kidding? did you said a Jaguar isn’t popular enough? maybe the popular car in your world is a “Myvi” or a “Satria”, go see wikipedia about Jaguar, the bolehland’s 2P and then tell me which is more popular.
And don’t despise TATA just because it’s from India, at least it doesn’t need gov’s protection.
Actually they are starting to replace their cars and trucks with more modern ones. At the recent Geneva show where the world say the ultra cheap Nano, they were also shown the second generation Indica, Tata’s first self-design and passenger car back in 1998, and was briefly re-badged as Rover (CityRover) just before Rover died.
Yes, that Indica MK1 (and the Indigo sedan that spawn from it) was crude and unrefined. But at least it served the purpose, and proudly an original design.
Well apart from appearing at the Geneva show this year, there’s not much information on the Indica MK2. Its photos are in flicker though. I like it’s simple and rather modern design, and most importantly, decently finished. Check out the second generation Indica here…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandev/2191370431/in/photostream/
So don’t rule out the Tata yet. As mentioned, their new Xenon is quite a surprise, even in Thailand where pick-ups market is huge, the Xenon is gaining encouraging sales, because of decent comparison to established Japanese brands.
Who knows, maybe their future cars will share door handles with Jaguar and Land Rover, just like our MyVi, sharing the same door handle with Viow, Altis, Camry AND even Lexus ES.
And here’s some information on the Xenon and new Indica i manage to find from
http://www.tatamotors.com/landing/
“The new generation Indica has been given a complete makeover. The new Indica is bigger than the current Indica with a length of 3795 mm (existing 3675 mm), width of 1695 mm, height of 1550 mm and wheelbase of 2470 mm (existing 2400 mm). The rear sloping wind screen also increases the sense of spaciousness in the passenger cabin. The new Indica will be available with a new range of world class diesel and petrol engines and transmissions with a new suspension. The car will be offered with the new 1.3 litre Quadra-Jet Common Rail Direct Injection Diesel engine and 1.2 and 1.4 litre Safire MPFI VVT Petrol engines, in addition to existing Tata powertrains. The new engines will be manufactured at the new Tata-Fiat joint venture plant in India.”
MPFI and VVT engine sounds impressive. Then again there will be bashers saying “Cheh! Honda has that decades ago bla bla bla”.
And about the Xenon…
“The Xenon is also equipped with a 2.2 litre 103 kW common rail direct injection Euro IV compliant diesel engine. With superior styling, comfort and safety features this is a versatile pick up truck suited for business as well as leisure applications. It is offered in single cabin, double cabin and space cabin versions in 4×2 as well as 4×4 configurations. Superior fuel mileage and better payload capacity make it a profitable choice for commercial and personal usage. While continuing to be manufactured in India, the Xenon will also be manufactured in Thailand and will be marketed in Tata’s existing European, Asean and African markets.”
Common rail direct injection Euro IV compliant diesel engine is complicated, advance and expensive. Even if they sell the Xenon here with such engine, can it run on the (lower) grade of diesel we sell in Malaysia? It’d be good if we do.
Lastly, Paul’s photo of a white Xenon doesn’t do the car any justice aesthetically heheheh. Sorry Paul. Go flicker around for “Tata Xenon” guys, it’s leaps and bounds compare to that Safari Tata had in Malaysia.
C Tata also comes new model ~ where the fxxx nissan Fxxxx ??
I read reviews on TATA cars in the UK and it seems like the brits are more satisfied with TATA’s build quality… It receive more stars than Gen2 with their Indica
seen few Tata pickup used in plantation, looks quite robust!
The answer is (C), let it go. Why? Malaysian market is quite diiferent from other market in the region. 1st, the hight duty. 2nd, low 2nd hand resale value + high depreciation. 3rd,our citizens still have a narrow mind about other marque other than Toyota, Honda, Merc, BMW, etc. Yesterday i read about Chevrolet want to revamp itself in Malaysia. I don’t think they can even survive. They are not sensitive to our people need. Do they conduct a market survey before entering Malaysia? Even the Muslims avoiding the Chevy due to its symbol which some related it to cross even though it is not. DRB should give the (C) answer to Chevrolet to I think. I know TATA is better in R&D compare to Proton, but thanks to NAP all seem not bloomish here in our country.
TATA is a much as a Proton than some people might think. It is, after all a product from a large Indian conglomerate. But it is bred from the same national protection that Proton gets. In fact a lot of Indian products are protected. You wonder why the Indian people returning to India check in fridges and airconds at KLIA?
And anybody who has dealt and been to see the vastness that is India will appreciate the fact that it does require knowing (several) people in politics to survive in India. Hopefully that same government is maintained a while longer for the business to flourish.
Let it go. Just because, its hard to sell it. Even more so if they put Jags and Land Rover in the equation. Yes, it is a hard sell and its gonna waste your resources. Better concentrate with Audi.
Bobdbilder… I am afraid you are wrong!
Tata was not protected by the Indian government. In fact it was Suzuki which was protected since it had a tie up with Indian government! The market was opened much before Tata launched their first car! There are no difference in tax/excise etc between Tata and the rest. The Tata Indica was designed and developed completely in India from scratch. the engine, transmission… everything… the second one is much much better (Have seen it). Interior finish is better than even Gen.2. the engines are going to be quite modern with variable valve timing etc.
Tata’s accomplishments are not something to be launghed off since they are barely ten years old! Yes… they have still a lot to learn. But thankfully they accept it and are working on it….
LHQ ,
i am definitely comparing jaguar to cars of its league like BMW , merc ,audi , lexus, and others. what i mean ‘popularize’ is to introduce more newer cars, more advertising and more showrooms. I believe the popularity of jaguar can still be improved
Given a choice, i would rather buy a Toyota, Mitsubishi, Ford/Mazda or Isuzu – simply because of stronger residual value and more importantly, i know the spare parts is easily available here, original or recond or whatever. I want my truck to be moving and not parked in the house or workshop waiting for spare parts.
I use my truck for office, travelling, off roading (all tracks) and almost everywhere. It happens to be a Toyota. So i cannot afford any downtime.
I think TATA should maintain it’s heavy trucks division because transportion and logistics services is ever growing here.
let go…
Bobdbilder you’re absolutely mistaken I’m afraid. #1 carmaker in India is Suzuki followed by Hyundai. Honda, Toyota, BMW and Skoda are all there. The market is not protected and Tata, Mahindra, Ashok-Leyland, Royal-Enfield, TVS, Bajaj and others have to compete on equal footing without special protection. For more information look up India’s AMP – Automotive Mission Plan 2006-2016.
Tata its really stubborn, why malaysia wants to avoid cars or either trucks from India, as they are long lasting than any brand. As the new sales will getting reduce thats why.
Ashok Leyland can compete to any trucks, will give you good performance as what Scannia and Volvo gives, at a very competitive price.