Why Tata Cars Are Most Preferred in Taxi Market?

[Raja]

Belive me I swear I have seen rolls Royce as taxi used by sayaji hotel indore. Jaguar , Audi, and bmw are used too
lemon tree hotel in Pune uses grand vitara . Tata almost all cars from their stable I have seen as taxis expect safari and aria and nano .
Emirates uses c class merc as taxis in Mumbai .

 

[nozzlering]

We are blinded by the pseudo image imposed by the media. We dont buy what we like, or what is good. We buy what others think is good. This is the reason so many good cars are underrated.
And Taxi market goes for sheer practicality. Here I am considering Indica and Indigo as refrence.

• Initial cost: Tatas are cheaper to buy
• Recurring/ Maintenance cost: Maintenance cost is low
• FE: There are efficient
• Space: No doubt they are spacious
• Comfort will be an added advantage: They are comfortable

So they were open heartedly taken by taxi operators. And masses thought how can we buy a car which is a TAXI. TATAs have nothing to loose. There cars are selling. But those people who could have gone for a spacious, comfortable car, chose to drive a comparatively cramped counterpart. (Prathishtha mein praan gawaaye....)
Taxi market will welcome any car which fulfils the above mentioned criterion. Verito/ Logan is another example of practicality.

 

[FJ CRUZER]

and this one http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/attachments/indian-auto-news/44539d1331790317-how-would-you-react-see-your-car-model-taxi-market-dsc00206.jpg

Mods: Can you hep posting it here directly?

 

[Swapnil]

@ Mukesh Must be a taxi of some hotel , i see Bmw's and Merc's also used as Taxis by some premium luxury hotels.


@ Autosafari TATA cars surely are spacious inside aren't they?



Recently got a chance to travel in Indica and Logan cabs. Logan's front seat was not comfortable for me though but still the ride quality and space at the backseat was amazing! AC was also really good in Logan.


Indica was even more spacious and ride quality was equally good!


I hate to admit it but both these cars felt more comfortable and ride quality far superior compared to my Verna , thanks to the soft suspension setup!

Verna's raw power is unbeatable. Don't know about Logan, but Indica-go are also uncomfortable above 130s. My dad complains about being in a boat if I happen to cross 130 mark, also breaking is not adequate.

 

[TSIVipul]

Taxis...hmmm[thinking]..
You name the car and I'll tell you where I saw it as a taxi..

Any made of Mercedes,BMW or Audi(leave those SUVs and sports/roadsters) can be seen roaming in Delhi with the name of some 5 star hotel engraved on front doors.

Any Toyota from Etios to Fortuner can be seen with a yellow number plate here in Delhi.Its easy to spot Etios 'D' at airport etc.

Any Honda(Even City and Civic)can be spotted working for some 3 or 5 star Hotel.

Spotting a Ford as a taxi is just like a mickey mouse play.

Any Hyundai(Even Santa-Fe) can be spotted with Vernas,Sonatas and Santas(only one spotted till date with Hotel Ashoka engraved on it).

In other words you name the car and I'll tell you where and how to spot it.

In fact those are Tatas which are amongst the least spotted taxis in Delhi because they are in least demand.

About the Audi R8..simple it is..exceptions can be found anywhere..

@Nozzlering:
+100000....very very true..its the game of herd mentality.

@FJ CRUZER:
Let me do it for you:-

 

[visran]

This recent article by economic times shows the changing fortunes of Tata motor's in the taxi segment they are fast loosing their market share to Japanese

The taxi segment in India is witnessing a major churn as carmakers such as Toyota, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai begin to aggressively compete in a market that is dominated by Tata Motors. And initial reports say the new entrants have successfully made deep inroads into a lucrative segment.

The commercial segment - representing metered taxi, radio cabs and air-cooled vehicles - had been a Tata Motors' bastion for long with its Indigo and Indica duo ruling the domestic market and taking its sizeable market share. But in recent months fairly new entrants especially Toyota and Maruti Suzuki are changing the game with its new mass-market models such as the Etios sedan and SX4 that is increasingly preferred by local fleet operators.

"Toyota volumes are gaining at the expense of Tata Motors. Toyota Etios is now a preferred option due to its high mileage and brand name. Even though it (Etios) is more expensive (in terms of price), operators are lapping it up and treating it as a luxury taxi," said Amit Bhandari of India Reality Research (IRR) in its report.

The big chunk of Indian market is now getting converted into GPS-assisted radio cabs and taxis, where customers pay a fixed tariff at a premium and are ready to shell more for assured quality. And Toyota and Maruti are pushing their new cars like the Etios and the Dzire to cash in on their stronger mileage and superior brand.

"We will change the game," said Toyota Kirloskar Motors deputy MD (marketing) Sandeep Singh.The company has taken a specialised strategy to gain market share in the commercial segment. It is training taxi drivers in Bangalore on chauffeur etiquettes as well as prudent use of new technology.

"We want the taxi customers to have a global Toyota experience. We have initiated special communication measures with the commercial segment stakeholders for an enriching customer experience in our new cars," added Singh.

In one of the largest orders of 4,000 taxis awarded by the Maharashtra government to SMS Infrastructure that launched 'TabCabs' fleet cab service, the new portfolio comprises only Toyota Etios and Maruti SX4 sedans.

According to IRR's Bhandari, this phenomenon is gathering momentum in other cities as well. Though Tata Motors is still the preferred option for commercial purposes in smaller cities, towns and remote areas, these Japanese companies are gaining share in urban markets, the report stated.

An email to Tata Motors on the changing fortunes remained answered. A senior company executive dealing with fleet operations said that company sales have increased in recent past as new entrants have expanded the market.

.

 

[raj_5004]

^^^ This explains why TATA slipped down to No. 4 position in terms of sales.

 

[codename47]

Tata , because its domestic car and cheap parts and spares availability .


In australia , you can have a Toyota Camry , Toyota Aurion , Ford Falcon , holden Commodore, Honda City as taxis.

also VHA has Mercedes S class, E class , BMW 7 Series , Holden Statesman etc etc as taxis.

I think if your willing to pay a price you can make an aeroplane a taxi as well.

 

[Vishwas]

For the taxi market Tata is doing a great job and still it has better scope.
Toyota would have been dominant if they had kept Qualis in production still, we are seeing the rebirth of Sumos.

In australia , you can have a Toyota Camry , Toyota Aurion , Ford Falcon , holden Commodore, Honda City as taxis.

also VHA has Mercedes S class, E class , BMW 7 Series , Holden Statesman etc etc as taxis.

I think if your willing to pay a price you can make an aeroplane a taxi as well.

Here, people are cost conscious, hence they won't spend time giving the quality of service, BTW we even have city's and mercs also as taxis for airport and hotels.

 

[raj_5004]

Read an article in this forum itself that TATA has lost it's dominance in the Taxi market and has been overtaken by Toyota and Maruti.

 

[Shrikanth]

Yeah thats true! Many were discussing about Indica, Innova, Swift Dzire, Sumo etc. But Alto & Santro is running as Taxi's at Ooty. We can only able to see Alto in yellow board at Nilgiris. They dont even use LPG. Runs only in Petrol.

 

[Sreejith]

I beleive that Tata is actually loosing the market share in the taxi segment as well there is a new fleet of Toyota Etios from Megha cabs the new replacement for Meru & also the base version of Swift Dezire (Tour edition ) ..

 

[Gurrala74]

Yes, Sreejith

I have seen Etios as taxis these days and also Dzire tour edition. Thank god they have not included Ritz in that

 

[Vishwas]

I beleive that Tata is actually loosing the market share in the taxi segment as well there is a new fleet of Toyota Etios from Megha cabs the new replacement for Meru & also the base version of Swift Dezire (Tour edition ) ..

Nope, these cars you mentioned are only used by Meru where most of the customers use it only to commute to the airports or some other important places. Rest all of the full time cabbies (for Corporate companies) use Tatas to a larger extent.

 

[ss80]

I read it somewhere in the internet & it is true, TATA cars are always winners in the SPACE & SEAT segment. Indica with cR4 engine is not even given for test drive at some TATA Dealerships (I have experienced this with Concorde, recently) the only reason they give is - "Sir, nobody buys this car based on how it looks/drives, its all about mileage & earning per kilometer, we dont have a competitor & we dont give Indica test drives!"

Following this reaction my cousin who had actually come there to book the cab, decided to go for some other showroom instead.