By Fakir Hassen, IANS
Johannesburg : Tata passenger vehicles have found a huge market in South Africa.
Since their launch three years ago, these vehicles have become especially popular among the first-time and middle-income buyers here because of their competitive pricing.
However, the popularity of the vehicles has led to criticism from a section of the automobile industry.
An initial report of a study undertaken by international research company J.D. Power and Associates, released early in December, has claimed that Tata vehicles had 567 after-sales problems per 100 vehicles, which was more than double the average of 245 for 23 vehicles of other global brands.
Reacting to the initial report, the distributor for Tata vehicles in South Africa said Wednesday it would wait for the full report before commenting on the claim.
Michael Camacho, sales and marketing manager for Accordion Investments, said the full report was expected in mid-January and that full details of the various problems cited in it would be required for an accurate assessment.
The question raised by the initial report came as the Tata group became the front-runner in a bid to buy top British car brands Jaguar and Land Rover from the US carmaker Ford.
The group is also planning to launch in India the Rs.100,000 ‘people’s car’, a long-time dream of chief executive Ratan Tata.