MUMBAI, INDIA (April 1, 2008)
### In a statement released today, Tata Motors Vice President of Sales &
Marketing Ravi Pisharody confirmed rumors circulating in the automotive
community that the company would augment its purchase of Jaguar and Land
Rover with the acquisition of the legendary Alfa Romeo marque, in a deal
that becomes effective immediately.
Many have wondered about Tata’s
rationale for purchasing Alfa Romeo, a seeming misfit for the company’s
direction. When asked for clarification, Mr. Pisharody explained that
Tata’s new Nano (a $2500 60 MPG "People’s Car") will allow its owners to
drive reliably for pennies per mile; Jaguar will allow its owners to
ride reliably in quiet splendor; and Land Rover will allow its owners to
reliably climb 45-degree inclines. The company needed a model line that
would keep its service technicians employed, and Alfa Romeo more than
filled the bill.
Mr. Pisharody also alleviated
concerns that some devoted Alfa Romeo fans (known as "Alfisti") had
expressed regarding the brand’s identity, stylishness, and performance.
Naturally, with any change in ownership, some differences are
inevitable, but Tata plans to minimize their impact. The changes
currently being implemented include:
• Since "Alfa Romeo" is
unpronounceable in Hindi, the marque’s name will be changed to Alwar
Rampur, the enchanting city in royal Rajasthan where production will
take place. Alwar Rampur is famous for its forts and palaces, tie-dyed
clothing called Bandhini, hand-woven saris, and marble sculptures.
Hence, the aura of style and passion will be retained, and the change
from "Alfa Romeo" to "Alwar Rampur" in all of the company’s products,
logos, and literature will be visually imperceptible to the public.
• Because of the esteem in
which bovines are held in India, Alwar Rampurs will, of course, no
longer be manufactured with leather seating. Instead, customers will
be given several material options, primarily colorful tie-dyed
Bandhini and plaid-like Madras (which should be popular
demographically, since so many current and potential owners of the
marque came of age in the ‘60s and ‘70s). It’s unclear whether the
material will be sewn onto the
Alwars’ seats or draped around them, sari-style.
• In conjunction with the
above, the antiquated "Cross and Serpent" emblem will be replaced by
the exciting new "Cow and Cross", and will henceforth be used on
emblems and in company literature.
• Service on new Alwar
Rampurs will no longer be performed by local dealerships. Instead,
customers will be asked to call a special Toll-free Engineering and
Technical Support (TEATS) number, where they’ll be connected after
navigating through a few levels of voice mail to a specialist at the
Tata Tech Support facility in Bangalore. This enhancement will improve
customer satisfaction from the level experienced by current Alfa Romeo
owners to that experienced by all personal computer users over the
past several years.
###