Are we ready for AT Aria??

[camchennai]

Two Indian automotive companies Tata and Mahindra are ruthless against each other when it comes to business and keep each other in their toes. The Tata Aria's sales was just beginning to pick up steam after the launch of cheaper 4X2 version when the all-new XUV500 from Mahindra gate-crashed into Tata's party with its shockingly value-for-money pricing. Tata knows too well that it has to either try and reduce the prices or introduce newer variants of the Aria if it has to stand a chance against the hot-selling XUV500. TML doesn't wants to reduce the price so they choose to come out with a new variant.

Reports started surfacing a couple of months back that Tata was planning to come out with an automatic variant of the Aria. TML with help of Land rover has developed this AT tranny for Aria, one of the reader of Anything on wheels has spotted a Aria with "Under Test" badge in ****ri, Pune. Though it could be any other variant, the reader claims that he inferred that this had automatic transmission by peeping through the window. ****ri is the place where Aria is currently manufactured. Incidentally this would be the first Auto tranny from TATA stable.

This could not come at a better time for Tata as more and more customers prefer to go for automatic transmissions in their cars now a days. But, all is not well for the Aria. With the market already branding it as overpriced and the model suffering from not-so-high sales numbers, it remains to be seen how Tata is going to position the Aria automatic, as it will obviously be more expensive than the manual variants. The other flip side is Tata's complete lack of brand image that is hurting the Aria more than anything else as it is otherwise a mighty competent product.

Will the Aria automatic overcome all the hurdles and prove successful for Tata? Not to mention that XUV 500 AT is not far away as M & M already has a AT on their flagship product Scorpio



Source - Anything on Wheels

[roadracer]

The question is "Is TATA ready with the ARIA at all"?

I am hearing that even the 15lac ARIA has lot of niggles. It will be good to get a viewpoint from somebody in our forum who might have an ARIA or experienced the ARIA?

[Anand_GA]

It seems that TATA have not got their pricing right. I have also read about the niggles present int he ARIA. I hope that TATA manage to set this right. Its good to note that the Indian manufacturers have started offering quality vehicles. But if they have to succeed, they would have a lot of catching up to do to reach the refinement offered by say Toyota, BMW etc.

[jayanv]

In my opinion, Tata has a lot of bad reputation for their service. Their products are good, but the questionable part is their capability to service the products they manufacture. I own a Tata Indica XETA for last 5 years (5th anniversary on coming X'Mas day). My experience with the car is awesome, the drive and ride quality is really good (my wife prefers Xeta over the Accent we drive at Bangalore and wanted to swap the vehicles for some time !!). However, my experience with TATA ASS is pathetic. They messed it up 3 years back and I never went back to them again. I found a guy who was with TATA ASS previously as service manager now running his own private workshop who is really good at his job and he services my car now. This guy's workshop anytime will have 20+ TATA cars being attended to.

Recently I was getting a sound from steering whenever it is turned right/ left even in stationery position (once engine is fired), even you will get the feeling of iron rubbing iron in your hand while doing so. I wanted to give it a try at the TATA ASS and see if there is any improvement in 3 odd years after my last experience (I felt there could be some improvement due to a different experience which is listed towards the bottom of this post). This time, I even did not got my issue attended to, but just moved on as the way they handled the issue was worst. I went to their workshop (TATA ASS) at about 1:10-1:15 pm. It was lunch time and my details were taken by the receptionist and was asked to wait. Fair enough, I was waiting (not at the customer lounge, but there in the reception area itself) and what I witnessed next was the one of the most shocking incidents.

There was a meeting which was happening inside the service area (the whole workshop is visible from the reception & customer lounge). It seems it was a meeting between workshop staff and SAs with SM and co-ordinators etc. and apparently there was heated arguments going on (cannot hear due to the glass). One SA walked out and was followed by couple of others and eventually the meeting got dispersed and they were coming to the reception area (this place is common for reception, SAs dealing with customers etc. and I was waiting there). While coming they were still talking about some kind of a fight between 2 staff in the service center. Few minutes later the guy appearing to be the service manager (I feel so as the SA was addressing him "Sir") came over and was discussing it with the SA who walked off first from the meeting inside the workshop. This SA was explaining the issues with one of the TLs in the workshop. SM's issue was that this SA is giving job only to one TL and not giving any work to the other TL. On this, SA's major complaint was the poor quality of work he was getting from this TL and his non-commitment to the time lines given by himself. Many of the SA's argument seemed to be justifiable (there, while overhearing, no idea what other side have to tell) and he was talking from a customer's point of view. What was shocking was the attitude of the so called SM when he literally told SA - "forget the customer, and the word given to him, they will wait if they wanted the vehicle to be serviced, else let them go wherever they want, we are not sales guys and don't need to bother about the sales figures, we need to ensure that we achieve our collection target with the number of vehicles we get". At this point the SA told - "fine, fair enough, if the customer is shouting at me, I will definitely pass on your contact and our VP's contact, let you both handle the issue".

At this point-in time, they noticed I was consiously overhearing their conversation and this so-called SM asked one of the SA to attend to me, take details and assign my car and others waiting after me to another SA. He asked me to take him to the car and explain the issue. I told him the issue and even showed it to him. He prepared the job card and told me that I can leave and the actual SA will call me (he was out for lunch). This guy was also an SA and when I asked him what the issue could be, he mentioned all the technical parts associated with the steering that could go faulty. First he told, it seems to be an issue with the steering bearing, else it could be an issue with the steering pump, worst case the assembly needs to be replaced. I asked him what would be the approx charges, to which he hesitantly told me it would be 1.5k if it is an issue with bearing, 6-7K if it an issue with pump and if the assembly needs replacement, it wud cost about 10k. I told him to check and let me know so that I can decide, for which he insisted that only the other SA can do so and he was just "helping me go home early"!!! He gave me option to either stay back and speak to the actual SA once he returns from lunch or to leave the car there and wait for the other SA to call me. But he "assured" me that the assigned SA would call me as soon as he is back from lunch break and there is no need to waste time waiting there. At this point I casually asked if the vehicle would be delivered back the same day, for which he told there is no chance of that and it will take atleast a day. As I was wanting the vehicle that day late night for a short trip, I informed him my intention to return the next day morning by the time the workshop opens (this was just to see his response). He told, he is not cancelling the JC and will use the same the next day.

I straight away went to the other private workshop. Since it was lunch time, all the guys were out and there was just this EX-TATA SM. He asked me what was the issue and I explained him the case. He came to the car, opened the bonnet and checked the power steering oil level and filled it. Then he asked me to turn-on the engine and check if that noise is coming again. That was the root cause of the issue, it was attacked and the issue vanished !!! The cause of less oil level is a leak which needs to be attended during next service. I also had an issue of a loose contact of turn indicators, (it will work when it feels so). For this he asked me to leave the car and come by 3-3:30 as his guys are not there. I returned and got the issue fixed, he charged me Rs.100/-, that is it - Rs.25/- for the oil he used and Rs.75/- as labour !!!!!!!

Now, I had a feeling that the TATA ASS in my city was bad (there is just one in my home town) and when I took my car to my wife's hometown during our last vacation (2 weeks before this incident), I thought of giving my car for a service at the TATA ASS there, just to have a taste of it (also service was due and we were to go on a long trip of about 600km that weekend). There was a huge visible difference in the reception. I booked a service slot over phone for the next day, an SA was assinged that day evening and he proactively called me and took the details of the issues I had. I was really feeling as if the issue with TATA ASS is solved and now it is better. But I was mistaken, yes their dealing was too good, were offering coffee, got a warm welcome, adhered to all timelines etc. but the technical capability was the same I had experienced with TATA ASS in my hometown. This issue of loose connection in indicators was reported there as well, but I really doubt if they had even checked it. I feel, it would have worked on it's own and was working even when I took the delivery after service. It's life was just 2 days and by this time, we had embarked on our trip and did not bother to go back to them.

IMO, it doesn't matter how best you are at manufacturing the car. For a common man, it is the service center and the guys there who will make a difference (atleast for me it is). In case of Aria, I am following it on different forums and have not come across many issues which is common with other TATA vehicles, but even the small issue gets inflated many times and the prospective buyer will think many times before deciding. It is not that M&M is good, but comparitievly they have less issues with their ASS. Almost everyone is talking about the disconnect between M&M and their electronics, and hence many people have bought W6 variant of XUV5OO quoting "the less the electronics in M&M the better".

[NFSpoet]

The only thing that can play in Aria's favor is the huge demand and hence long wait for the Xuv. If they price this auto precisely within the xuv bracket, they might (just might) tap into these customers.
Whatever they do they have to hurry, new Innova is also coming up and the Toyota factor is gonna blow away the Aria.

[roadracer]

In my opinion, Tata has a lot of bad reputation for their service. Their products are good, but the questionable part is their capability to service the products they manufacture.

to the above. I think Vista is a real VFM product but if they can't sell the Vista in decent numbers how could they potentially sell the ARIA when ARIA is deemed to be over priced.

Their A.S.S is not good, at least in Chennai. The overall experience is still bad.