He has proven his critics wrong and today makes no bones about saying so. Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata looked a happy man on Saturday after rolling out the one millionth car off the Indica platform in Pune on Saturday, a feat achieved in a span of eight years.
?Humne gaadi banaya, khatara nahin,? he said in a rare talk in Hindi with his workers at the car plant, dismissing all sceptics who had predicted that a company that made trucks could never hope to make cars.
?This is no small achievement for our company. The team involved with this journey has reason to be satisfied of having broken new ground and creating a robust car business for the company,? he said. ?We have made 10 lakh cars today that have grown on Indian roads and in the overseas markets as well. This is India?s first car made from scratch. There have been hurdles and difficulties in this journey,? he said, telling his workers that it would take still some time to reach world scale and class. ?We must be aware that there is still some way to go before we say we have a car that is better than the cars we see elsewhere,? he said.
Starting with the Indica, the company launched Indigo in 2002, Indigo Marina in 2004, and Indigo XL in 2007. The plant started with a capacity of 150,000 units a year, which was later expanded to 225,000 units in 2006. Since the commencement of production in January 1999, the company made its 100,000th car in March 2001 and the 500,000th car in February 2005. The journey from the 900,00th car to the millionth car was completed in just over seven months.
Tata Motors has planned several initiatives to mark the 1 millionth milestone. These include free service check-ups, service camps, discounts on accessories and value-added services for existing customers.
In addition, special retail offers and finance schemes for employees of vendors, financiers, dealerships were also planned, the company said.