Ratan Tata is one of the most respected industrialists in the world. He has achieved many great successes during his decades-long career. However, the crown jewel in his long list of achievements is the conception and success of Tata Motors, Tata Group's personal vehicle company. Tata Motors, which had been struggling in the last 1990s to survive, now features among the market leaders with their superhit products like Tata Nexon and Tata Altroz. It took grit and determination to take the company to this position. However, ironically, humiliation also pushed the iconic Tata ahead against all odds. Many business honchos have narrated the story of Bill Ford's "humiliation" of Ratan Tata, over the last few years. Now, two decades after the incident, Tata Group has helped Ford in exiting India. Read this inspirational story.
Vedant Birla, the Chairman of Birla Precision Technologies, had shared this story on Twitter. In 1998. Tata Motors launched Tata Indica, the first car made completely in India. The car registered low sales. The company then decided to sell off the business to American car giant Ford in 1999. Tata flew to the United States and met Bill Ford, the then owner of Ford. During the meeting, Tata was reportedly humiliated by Bill Ford.
The American businessman told Ratan Tata that he should never have ventured into the car manufacturing business. Pravin Kadle, a business executive who was part of the team that went with Tata to the US, said in 2015 that when the group knew nothing about the car business, why it started the passenger car division. Bill Ford even told Ratan Tata that he was doing him a favour by purchasing the company. The deal couldn't be completed. Tata, however, returned more focussed on his goals of making Tata Motors a roaring success. Tata Indica later became a success. Nine years later, Ford was on the verge of bankruptcy. In 2008, Ratan Tata bought Jaguar and Land Rover for 2.3 billion dollars.
This story of sweet revenge isn't over. Ford has exited India after failing to make their business profitable despite being in the country for over two decades. Now Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Limited is planning to complete the deal of their Gujarat Sanand plant by January 10. The deal is reportedly valued to be of Rs 725.7 crore. This plant can manufacture three lakh cars in a year. Tata Group has also given job offers to old workers. Tata Group will make electric cars in the plant. Harsh Goenka shared a video recently to commemorate the incident.
