Automotive industry in India is one of the largest in the world and one of the fastest growing in the world. India's production of passenger cars and commercial vehicles is the sixth largest in the world.
Since the 90s of the last century, cars in India have firmly entered the life of the large population of the entire Indochina. And if the inhabitants of our Far East have already closely acquainted with the results of the automobile industry in the Middle Kingdom, then India still remains for us the homeland of elephants and malaria.
Meanwhile, in India it is the car, not the elephant, that is the vehicle. True, Indian cars so far cannot boast of either a radical design, or an unearthly set of functions, or outstanding quality. However, the leading Indian auto manufacturer Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO) does not despair and is making every effort to promote its products in the global market.
So, at international shows, the Tata line of cars regularly appears, which, according to the assurances of the developers, should become people's cars, first in India, and then throughout the region.
The Tata range is a collection of Indica hatchbacks, Indigo sedans and Indigo SW station wagons. The technical characteristics are as follows: a 1.4-liter gasoline engine with an output of 85 horsepower. Likewise for diesel engines.
Indian cars are not limited to the concept " a car". All the same Tata produces light and heavy trucks. In a word, the whole range of services, the assortment is wide, the target audience is not limited.
Although the world community does not share such optimistic views. This is largely due to the notorious price-quality ratio. So, after a systematic decrease in prices due to low demand for products in the UK, an Indian car costs around 20,000 pounds.
Indian cars cannot be called cheap for the Russian market either. Provided that the line of SUVs will be assembled in Russia, the estimated price of an average SUV will be around $ 16,000.
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So big the cost of an Indian car due to the original design. Unlike its neighbors, India did not take the path of unceremonious copying of other people's ideas and decided to honestly pay for them. As a result, the five-seat Tata Mint hatchback alone became an Indian car only in its country of origin, because both the French (the engine was developed by La Moteur Moderne) and the Italians (the design was made by I.De.A) had a hand in its creation.
And so with almost every model, which is why the idea of creating a folk Indian car seems feasible, if not in this century.
As a result, although India does not stand still in the global automotive industry, it can be called widespread. cars from India also impossible. However, the wealth of the region (as well as the Chinese one) is doing its job: Indian auto concerns are more and more significantly represented in the world car market with each of them - albeit not in the form of their cars. They just buy famous American, European and Asian brands, thus becoming in the shadow of the glory of their wards.
Naked numbers: back in 1999, the whole auto industry in india produced less than 1 million cars (more precisely - 818 thousand), and already in 2011, the number of cars produced reached almost 4 million (3.9, to be precise).
Indian car companies
As with, or, the auto industry in India has seen both ups and downs. Like Icarus, not all who took off were able to land successfully, and not all who landed were able to continue moving.
There are not many “native” automakers in India, but due to the very, very large potential of the market, quite famous models are produced or assembled there. For example, the Germans (BMW India, Volkswagen Group Sales India, Mercedes-Benz India), Italians (Fiat India), Americans (Ford India, GM India), the Japanese (Honda India, Nissan India, Toyota Kirloskar) and many others (not all of the countries already mentioned, some European and Asian manufacturers are not listed).
So, what kind of Indian automakers are there? How to recognize a car from India by the emblem?
Located in Mumbai, Maharashtra province, the Indian brand's interests include both automotive and marine with the aviation industry. Among Chingara's "famous" creations is a 2-seater sports car called the Chinkara Roadster 1.8S and the Jeepster (a replica of a classic 1940s Jeep). The vehicles are developed by Alibag near Mumbai, India.
The Marine Division specializes in the production of fiber-reinforced plastic multi-hulls (catamarans and trimarans) jet skis.
The aviation division makes GFP gliders and motor gliders, Gyrocopters and ultralight flying vehicles.
Force Motors Ltd.(formerly Firodia Tempo Ltd. and Bajaj Tempo Ltd.) is an Indian manufacturer of trucks, buses and agricultural machinery. For some time, the company was part of the Bajaj Auto structure.
Small and medium-sized buses are manufactured on the basis of the T1 truck.
Tempo Excel Commuter - depending on the version, city or intercity small buses, 6.7 meters long, with seats ranging from 18 to 32. Engine turbo diesel 4-cylinder (2.6 liters) 76 hp
Citiline School Bus - school bus with 24 seats.
We can say with absolute certainty about this manufacturer: it is a “theater of one actor”.
Hindustan Ambassador "Ambassador" – the only car manufactured by the Hindustan Motors automobile plant. Its production began in 1957 and continued with minor changes and improvements until 2014. The model is based on the English Morris Oxford III, produced by Morris Motors Limited from 1956 to 1959. Despite its British origins, the Ambassador is considered an entirely Indian car, and is fondly called the "King of the Roads of India." Over the years, it was upgraded, acquired different prefixes (Mark-I, Mark-II, Mark-III, Mark-IV, Ambassador Nova, etc.), but remained practically unchanged externally and internally.
International Automobiles and Motors LLC(ICML) is a subsidiary of the Sonalika Group. Since 2012, it has been India's fourth largest manufacturer in terms of sales. Its current offering is Extreme MUV, an updated and technically enhanced version of its Rhino MUV.
*MUV- Minivan Universal Vehicle
ICML is known for making MUVs well suited to meet the needs of Indians as well as global clients. "Extreme" is an SUV with a capacity of 6 to 9 seats, "Oyster" has a double cab, and "Windy" is a 1.2 ton cab single commercial vehicle which was presented during the 11th Auto Expo in 2012 in New Delhi.
Mahindra & Mahindra Limited- The Indian division of the Mahindra Group, dealing with automotive, agricultural equipment, financial services, trade, logistics, automotive components and parts.
The company was organized in 1945 as Mahindra & Mohammed, later, after the division of India, Ghulam Muhammad returned to Pakistan and became its first finance minister, from that moment the company was renamed Mahindra & Mahindra in 1948.
Táta Mótors Ltd. (Hindi टाटा मोटर्स, ṭāṭā moṭars, NYSE: TTM) is the largest Indian automotive company, part of the Tata Group, formerly known as TELCO (TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company). The company is headquartered in Mumbai. Today, Tata Motors is one of the world's largest auto giants. Tata Group in India is one of the largest monopolists, which is represented in all important areas of the country's economy. Income for the 2005-2006 fiscal year was about $ 22 billion, which is equal to 2.9% of the country's GDP. The TATA Group consists of 93 operating companies in 7 business sectors, such as: mechanical engineering, new materials, chemicals, energy, consumer goods and services, information systems and telecommunications. All TATA Group companies employ approximately 220,000 people.
Perhaps the most unpopular in Russia are Indian cars. However, many people know about them. In particular, due to their incredibly low cost. In general, this topic is of some interest, so I would like to talk about it in more detail.
A bit of history
So, before talking about Indian cars, I would like to touch on their history.
It all started in the 90s. It was then that Indian cars firmly entered the daily life of the population of Indochina. The machines of this production cannot boast of excellent design, new technical developments, powerful motors and elegant design. But they are economical and cheap - and this is the most important thing. But there is one company that is actively trying to promote its models in the global market. And it is known under the name TELCO.
Her most popular model is the Tata. More precisely, this is a whole line of cars. The developers themselves assure that these are the machines that must become popular models not only in India, but throughout the region.
Characteristics of the Tata line
Now it is worth talking in more detail about these Indian cars, since their manufacturer is trying to actively promote them. Consists of a line of sedans, station wagons and hatchbacks. The technical characteristics are not very impressive - one gasoline engine and a diesel one. The volume of both the one and the other is the same - 1.4 liters. In the same way as the power - only 85 "horses".
There are even Indian trucks. It is hard to imagine, but it really is a fact - Tata decided not to dwell on "cars". Heavy trucks also entered production.
Of course, world society does not think so optimistically as the Indians themselves. Everything is simple here - salt in price and quality. The cars were first brought to the UK. However, they were so unpopular there that the price of the model was reduced to 20 thousand pounds sterling. But even after this demand did not appear. Yes, even in Russia, no one is eager to buy a new Indian car from Tata. Yes, before the upgrade, it cost 250 thousand rubles. This is the same Tata Nano model. But many motorists said that they would rather buy a used foreign car (for example, a Mercedes in the back of a w201 or a Ford from the 90s) than this car. The reason for this is quality. Everyone knows that German manufacturers really produced nice cars... And they will still serve as long as they have already left. But what is Tata - no one knows. It is possible that the new Indian car will crumble in two years.
Other manufacturers
Maruti is pretty large manufacturer Indian cars. And his cars are quite popular in their homeland. Probably because Indian specialists are closely cooperating with Japanese automotive organizations. By the way, the company itself was organized jointly with Suzuki Motors. It was 1973 in New Delhi.
Mahindra is another manufacturer. By the way, the very first car company! It was founded by a politician in the past. He was known as John Mahindra. In general, these are two firms that are more or less known to the rest of the world. Because the first was founded under the management of the eminent concern, and the second is the very first in the state.
The smallest car
So, above it was mentioned in passing about the Tata Nano car. Now I would like to tell you a little more about it. Despite the fact that the design that distinguishes this cheap Indian car was developed by several eminent ateliers, it did not work out well. We saved on everything that was possible.
There is no trunk lid, as the engine is installed at the rear of the car. The wheels are too small - you can only move on such wheels on really ideal roads... The body shape is strange - it is incompatible with these very wheels. The interior is generally minimal. Inside there is only a steering wheel, a handbrake, a transmission lever and seats that can hardly be called comfortable. By the way, the engine displacement is 0.6 liters. Power - and at all 33 (!) Horsepower. The first Beatles Volkswagens, produced in the mid-60s, were distinguished by such “power”.
By the way, the car consumes about 5 liters per 100 km. With such a volume of the engine, there should be at least 2.5-3 liters. So, in terms of consumption, the specialists miscalculated a little.
Bajaj Qute: features
This is another popular representative of the Indian car industry. It's compact - that's the first thing. It costs 250 thousand rubles - this is the second. And third, and most interesting, the Indian Bajaj car is classified as an ATV. And yes, they plan to provide it for Russian market.
Its engine is 1-cylinder, and the power is only 13.5 horsepower. It is difficult to imagine that according to Russian roads where BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagens (and other popular cars in our country), whose engines generate several hundred hp each, are cut through, this Indian little car will drive.
What else is worth knowing about the new product?
What else can this car surprise? Indian Qute will not be able to please with comfort - that's for sure. The transmission lever is visible on the small center console, and the steering wheel and the motorcycle speedometer, which are not very comfortable in appearance, are also striking. The wheels are small, hardly have adjustment, but rear seats- this is a solid sofa, where three people are very hard to fit. Two are still possible.
In general, the model is definitely not for Russian connoisseurs, accustomed to good and quality cars... But anything happens - maybe someday this ATV machine will find its buyers. By the way, manufacturers have planned to supply 300 copies of these models to our market. In general, it remains to wait for the premiere and the start of sales, if, of course, this happens.
It attracts talented designers from all over the world - leading companies hire foreign specialists to collaborate on the release of new models, while the largest Indian corporations acquire overseas design companies.
India's booming automotive sector is constantly on the lookout for international automotive professionals, and in recent years, many of the largest manufacturing corporations cars are hired by designers and engineers from around the world. Unlike the USA, where Automotive industry is in crisis, Indian production of two- and four-wheelers Vehicle is experiencing a boom with record sales in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
Top talent in their field, including designers, engineers and researchers who recognize the enormous growth potential in India's emerging auto sector, are ready to relocate to the country to work on medium to long term contracts.
The top executive of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL), the country's largest automobile manufacturer, visited Detroit earlier this year to meet with the designers and engineers at Engine City and offer them jobs in India. Executive Director (Engineering) of MSIL, Mr. I. W. Rao, was able to fulfill his mission - eight Detroit engineers specializing in the design, styling and modeling of new cars, as well as in the development and production of engines, are now employees MSIL. Some of the US engineers and designers are of Indian origin and readily accepted the offer to work at Maruti.
According to Mr. Rao, those talented specialists from different countries who are now being recruited into the company will help release new innovative models, and will also contribute to the training of engineers already working in the company.
“For a very long time, our resources were limited,” says Mr. Rao. “We received new developments from Suzuki and carried out testing and improvements here. We had very few experienced designers, which made it much more difficult to implement new projects. "
“Engaged designers from other countries will help manufacturing companies train their designers and be able to provide them with the latest scientific and technical data,” emphasizes Mr. Rao.
Other major Indian auto manufacturers, including Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Auto and Royal Enfield, are also in talks with overseas auto designers to collaborate and expand their domestic design capabilities.
Recently, many overseas designers also visit India to meet with the highest officials domestic Indian car design companies and manufacturers. These designers have a wealth of experience and expertise in the design and modeling of hybrid drives, motors and transmissions.
The largest manufacturing company Bajaj Auto recently partnered with Edgar Heinrich of BMW Motorcycles, who now leads R&D. “The global community is beginning to become aware of the changes taking place in the Indian auto industry, in which design innovation plays a central role,” Heinrich emphasizes. The company, headquartered in Pune, has launched a range of the latest motorcycles to keep up with international giants, including Harley-Davidson, who are looking to enter the Indian market.
To manage the vehicle design and development process, Royal Enfi eld hired Venki Padmanabhan to offer him the position of Chief Operating Officer. After receiving his doctorate in industrial design from the University of Pittsburgh, Padmanabhan worked as part of the advanced engineering group at the American company General Motors, participated in the work of the automotive department. Daimler Chrysler Mercedes, also served as Executive Director of Global Logistics Strategy for Southeast Asia, and finally became Head of Operations at Royal Enfield.
“We are planning to start producing models with electronic fuel injection in India,” says Padmanabhan. Royal Enfi eld plans to sell around 50,000 motorcycles this year.
According to V.G. Ramakrishnan, Senior Director of Automotive and Transportation Sector, Frost & Sullivan, the new focus on engineering and design reflects the intention of Indian auto makers to enter global markets Changes in the global automotive industry that have occurred as a result of the economic downturn in the United States and Europe, simultaneously contributed to the "reverse brain drain", with many designers looking for work in India and China. Pininfarina, the legendary Italian car design company, is now also looking for a “knight on a white horse” to help deal with the crisis. At one time, there were reports that a major Indian car manufacturer was about to acquire an Italian company, but since many of the leading experts had already left, the deal never materialized.
Design aspects such as prototyping and making clay models, which are commonly used in France, Great Britain and Italy, are now being applied in many automotive companies and in India. Both domestic and foreign car manufacturing companies are investing heavily in design centers in India for both development and workforce optimization.
While GM and Chrysler set up R&D centers in Bangalore, Renault set up a design center at. These R&D and design departments not only deal with projects exclusively for India, but also carry out projects for their parent companies.
“The main goal of establishing a full-fledged design studio in India was to gain experience from Indian designers, as well as knowledge of the local market, tastes and preferences,” says Jean-Philippe Salard, Lead Designer and Head of Design Department Renault Design India. Renault's 16-person design studio acts as a support center for the main company in Paris, he said. “Over the past 30 months, our studio has been performing complex model design for Indian market, and now I am ready to carry out Renault projects for any country, ”he emphasizes.
Some major Indian car manufacturers have also begun to acquire overseas design organizations. A number of partnerships formed between local and foreign companies over the past few months underscore the importance of this aspect of the automotive industry, while the trend of worldwide consolidation is shifting the emphasis to ultra-modern, spectacular car bodies.
Indian auto makers are now seeking to acquire overseas design centers in order to reach production heights modern products, modernization of its R&D departments, and greater competitiveness through better cost sharing.
The largest utility vehicle manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra recently acquired the Italian company G.R. Grafi ca Ricerca Design Srl (GRD) headquartered in Turin. In doing so, M&M plans to establish an overseas design center for the group, as well as meet the needs of overseas automotive equipment manufacturers.
“The synergies that will result from this acquisition will not only help us improve our design capabilities, but will also help us grow as a major international center for automotive design,” explains Pavan Goenka, President of the Automotive Sector, M&M.
“The additional capabilities of both Mahindra and GRD will help modernize new vehicle development capabilities, provide a solid foundation for M&M in Europe, and make the most of technology, and fully leverage the knowledge of highly qualified people, namely the talented designers and engineers involved in work in the company ".
While overseas companies are relocating their automotive bases to Asian countries, design firms are opening offices in India with the aim of performing ancillary work here, after the model development phase. Many overseas design centers are now also experiencing a period of crisis, in particular due to the fact that car manufacturers began to carry out most of the design work within their organizations. More and more of these firms are now ready to sell stakes in their company in the hope of restoring their position in the market.
The design will be the main element that distinguishes the company in the international market, as indicators such as dynamics, quality and value of the car have already become categories of high demand.
Arun Jaura, Head of Research and Development at Eaton Corporation says: “The main goal of Indian manufacturers now is to increase resources, and the acquisition of design organizations in economically developed countries is the most quick way achieve this goal. Since talented engineers and designers are always valuable, international vehicle manufacturers and suppliers will set up dependent design centers in India and other developing countries. ”
Dilip Chkhabria, general director DC Design adds, "The current trend of Indian manufacturers to acquire design companies is essentially offshoring."
S. D. Pradhan, CEO of Argentum Engineering Design - which was organized by B.V.R. Subbu, the former head of Hyundai Motors India, said the organization had positioned itself as a design company and worked with prototype manufacturers on a contract basis. Argentum has partnered with Dassault Systemes, a French development firm software, with the aim of providing various companies with advanced powertrain solutions.
While the Indian auto industry is confidently stepping on the gas and adding speed to its goal, research, design and development are firmly embedded in the country's overall strategy to achieve the pinnacle of global leadership.
Indian cars are a very mysterious transport for the whole world. Most of us have never seen these cars live, so we cannot talk about any attitude towards this transport. But everyone understands perfectly well that Indian production is hardly capable of pleasant surprises. If you buy a car only on the basis of cost, then the Indian corporation TATA is ready to surprise you with its cheapest car in the world - the TATA Nano.
The model was originally developed only for the Indian market to allow those people who receive paltry minimum salaries to buy a car. Therefore, the main goal of the production of the machine was the maximum savings. What came of it? Let's take a closer look at the cheapest car in the world.
The exterior of the Indian car TATA Nano
The design of the car was developed by several eminent ateliers in the world of passenger transport, but it is impossible to call it successful. The task of saving on everything that could be saved on made the appearance of the car disgusting and impractical. But on the price tag it reflected very well. Perhaps this is exactly what Indian buyers needed.
The incredibly low incomes of an ordinary Indian citizen simply cannot become the basis for buying a foreign car, and there have never been domestic offers in a low price class in the country. But TATA Nano has become a rather specific option, because its appearance has a lot of dubious points:
- there is no trunk lid - a motor is installed in the rear of the car;
- miniature wheels are created only for ideal European roads;
- the weird body shape does not fit with the strange little wheels;
- the interior design boils down to the fact that it has a steering wheel, dubious seats and a gear lever;
- in the basic configuration, the bumper is black, which further spoils the already unpleasant appearance of the car.
Despite all the drawbacks of the TATA Nano's design, the first years of sales were incredibly successful. Already in 2008, when the company just presented the release of the new product, they ordered new car more than two hundred thousand Indian families. Then the basic equipment of the car cost only $ 2,500.
Doubtful design and rather strange decisions in technology have done their job - today Nano is bought only when it is absolutely necessary to purchase a car. Sales throughout India do not exceed 2,000 copies per month.
Technical features of a small Indian car
There are also no special pleasant surprises in technology that could be considered the advantages of the small TATA Nano. The car has a two-cylinder engine with a potential of 33 horse power... Volume power unit is 0.6 liters, but it consumes about 5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers of travel. With such characteristics, the consumption should be about 2.5-3 liters per hundred.
It's all about the same notorious economy. Poor assembly materials, simple and outdated technology make the car of the representatives of the last century. In good times, the Indian company developed a plan to capture the world market, assuming the development of the following versions:
- TATA Nano for domestic market planned to equip with the same two-cylinder engine for the next ten years;
- The Nano Europa was envisioned with a 0.6-liter three-cylinder unit with increased fuel economy and reduced emissions;
- the diesel version of the miniature Indian car used an engine that would consume 2.5 liters of fuel;
- a special version for the USA was also supposed with slightly improved technical characteristics.
But all these plans have not yet been condemned to become a reality, because the concern was not able to fulfill even the planned sales in India. Every now and then in the press there is information that the TATA Nano cars passed the NCAP crash test at the mark of 0 points, showing the worst results, or the cars began to ignite without good reason.
Such features become a factor in negative sales, and Indian manufacturers will have to forget about conquering the markets of Europe, the USA or the CIS for now. In 2013, the corporation decided to carry out a restyling of the model, during which, possibly, some technical characteristics will be changed.
This is how TATA Nano drivers light up on Indian highways:
Summing up
The car, which costs $ 2,500, is indeed the cheapest mass production vehicle in the world. However, the low price is the only advantage of the TATA Nano. If this car appears in civilized markets, the only buyers will be the fans of experiments. Considering the high cost of transportation and organization of official salons in all developed countries, the cost of a car in European states projected at 5,000 euros. For this money, it is better to buy a full normal car in the secondary market.
Would you like to get a stool on wheels like the cheapest Indian stool in the world? car TATA Nano?
There are more than 40 factories producing or assembling cars in India, so this review will probably not be the only one. One way or another, before you is a serious "ten": the largest and most famous car factories, plus a bonus of several little-known companies as a seasoning.
Mahindra Group is a giant conglomerate with more than 200,000 employees and manufactures absolutely everything - cars, motorcycles, and spaceships, and ships, and agricultural equipment. Founded in 1945, today it is one of the technology leaders in the Indian market. The picture shows a fresh, 2016 model Mahindra KUV100.
Tata Group is the largest technology conglomerate in the country, founded in 1945, 600,000 (!) Employees. Minerals, steel, automotive, food - all of this is Tata. By the way, Jaguar, Land rover and Daewoo are owned by Tata. The illustration shows one of the latest models, the Tata Bolt.
Premier is a company founded in 1941 that now specializes in the assembly of Dodge, Fiat, Peugeot and produces a number of models under its own brand. Pictured here is the timeless classic, the Premier Padmini, produced under license from Fiat from 1964 to 2000.
Hindustan is probably the most legendary Indian brand. Founded in 1942, the company became famous for the "eternal" Hindustan Ambassador model (pictured), based on the classic Morris Oxford series III and produced from 1958 to 2014 (!), Albeit with slight facelifts every 10 years. Today Hindustan is essentially a Mitsubishi assembly plant.
Rajah is a now forgotten company that from 1981 to the mid-2000s produced trucks and vans exclusively for the domestic market. Pictured is a 1981 Rajah Kazwa model.
Eicher is a completely unknown plant in our country, which has been successfully producing trucks since 1948. Shown here is one of the newer models, the Eicher Pro 6031. In addition to trucks, Eicher makes the Eicher Polaris Multix, a light farm utility vehicle.
Force is another not too well-known manufacturer of passenger cars and special vehicles... Founded in 1958, until 2005 it was called Bajaj (and under this name was a little more common in the press). The picture shows the Force Gurkha SUV.
