Customer Corner : Tata Motors - Cummins, Condoms and Chaos

Ok so listen up, you lot. This one’s a joint partnership. Customer? Supplier? Fucked if I know. Barring starting a “Partnership Pals” series just for Tata, they’re getting bunged in with Customer Corner. If you don’t like it email your complaint to oscar@tcap.blog.

Moving on, then. Tata Motors, that behemoth of the Tata Group, struts around like India’s knight in gleaming armour, peddling dreams of affordable wheels and green futures. But peel back the paint, and it’s a festering pile of scandals, screw-ups, and sheer bloody arrogance. This isn’t a carefully curated nod to either party; this is the raw, filthy truth – like it’s just taken a dip in the Ganges – and it’s s served straight with a side of outrage. So fuck the gloss – let’s dive right in.

Let’s clear this partnership up. Tata Motors has been shacked up with Cummins Inc. in a joint venture since 1993, churning out engines through Tata Cummins Private Limited. It’s all smiles and handshakes for low-emission tech, but here’s the kicker: this makes Tata yet another player in the Cummins ecosystem, where ethics seem as optional as a side salad. In case you’re new to the blog, Cummins themselves got slapped with a whopping $1.675 billion fine in 2023 for emissions cheating – rigging trucks to spew more crap than a Mumbai sewer. Birds of a feather, eh? Alternative ideas on ethical behaviour? More like a masterclass in bending rules till they snap.

Land Grabs and Farmer Fury: The Singur Shitstorm

Picture this: fertile fields in West Bengal, where farmers scratched a living from the soil, suddenly bulldozed for Tata’s grand vision – the Nano plant, billed as the people’s car. Back in 2006, the government strong-armed land from unwilling owners, sparking protests that turned bloody. Mamata Banerjee, that firebrand opposition leader, led the charge, accusing Tata of displacing families without fair compensation. Violence erupted – beatings, clashes, the whole sorry spectacle.

Tata pulled out in 2008, relocating to Gujarat amid the chaos, but not before the damage was done. Fast forward to 2023, and an arbitration panel hands Tata £766 crore plus interest from the West Bengal government for losses. Justice? Bollocks. It’s a slap in the face to those farmers still haunted by the ordeal. Singur remains a ghost town of industrial dreams, a symbol of how big business tramples the little guy. And Tata? They waltz away with a pay-out, while Bengal’s economy limps on. Outrageous, isn’t it? These bastards prioritise profit over people, every damn time.

Corporate Backstabbing: The Cyrus Mistry Meltdown

Ah, the boardroom betrayal that shook the Tata empire. In 2016, Cyrus Mistry – handpicked successor to Ratan Tata – gets the boot in a move straight out of a mafia flick. Abrupt, ruthless, and reeking of personal vendettas. Mistry fires back, accusing the group of governance fuck-ups, Ratan Tata’s meddling, and deep-seated issues at Tata Motors: outdated products, quality nightmares, unprofitable lines.

The feud spills into courts, with Mistry alleging oppression of minority shareholders and ethical lapses. Tata wins the legal battles, but the dirt’s out – internal rifts, interference, a family dynasty clinging to power. It’s not just business; it’s personal, gritty, and exposes the rot at the core. How the hell do you build trust when your leaders knife each other in the back? Tata Motors, caught in the crossfire, emerges as the problem child, dragging the group down with its baggage.

Lobbying and Leaked Tapes: The Radia and Tata Tapes Scandals

Enter the shadowy world of influence-peddling. In 2010, the Radia tapes leak – phone chats with corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, implicating Tata execs in wheeling and dealing for telecom favours. Ratan Tata’s name floats around, though not directly accused. The tapes paint a picture of backroom deals, tarnishing Tata’s squeaky-clean image. Investigations fizzle, no convictions, but the stain lingers.

Then, in 2020, the Tata Tapes surface amid COVID chaos, raising privacy alarms and ethical red flags. More leaked calls, more internal tensions under Ratan Tata’s watch. It’s a pattern: power plays hidden behind corporate veils. Swear to God, these tapes are the audio equivalent of finding maggots in your biryani – disgusting, unavoidable, and a wake-up call to the corruption bubbling beneath.

Antitrust Arseholery: Abusing Market Muscle

Tata Motors, dominant in commercial vehicles, gets hauled before India’s Competition Commission in 2020. Accusations fly: abusing position in financing, tying loans to sales, imposing unfair terms on dealers. Probes into Tata Capital and Tata Motors Finance uncover potential anti-competitive crap.

By 2023, some cases close without penalties, but the probe’s stench remains. Dealers cry foul over dominance abuse, yet Tata skates free. It’s classic big fish behaviour – squash the competition, screw the little players, and laugh all the way to the bank. Where’s the fair play in that? Bloody infuriating.

Product Shitshows: Quality Nightmares and Safety Scares

Now, the real meat: Tata’s vehicles. Legacy models like Nano, Indica, Sumo – plagued by poor quality, service delays, safety horrors. Customers rant about defective cars sold as new, unresolved repairs, even threats for going public. Recent EVs? Nexon, Curvv, Punch – suspension noises, sensor fails, gear shifts from hell.

In 2021, a Reddit saga details a dealership flogging a dud car, refusing returns. Social media explodes with tales of breakdowns, rusting fuel tanks, electrical gremlins. Tata claims complaints dropped 18% in FY2025, but who believes that bollocks? They’ve been accused of dumping subpar cars in Africa that wouldn’t pass Indian standards. Prioritising cost over safety? That’s not innovation; that’s negligence. These pricks endanger lives for a quick buck – unforgivable.

The JLR Debacle: Billions Down the Drain

Tata’s 2008 buyout of Jaguar Land Rover? Hailed as a coup, but fast forward to 2019: a huge write-down, India’s biggest corporate loss ever. Slumping sales, Brexit bollocks, the diesel emissions scandal hitting JLR’s fleet hard. Volkswagen’s cheat gets the headlines, but JLR suffers the fallout.

Rebranding efforts spark more controversy – a 2024 ‘woke’ ad tanks stocks. An alleged 2010 spy scandal with leaked blueprints adds espionage spice. Overpayment scrutiny, value slashes – it’s a masterclass in hubris. Tata poured billions into a sinking ship, and we’re left wondering: was it ego or idiocy?

EV Bus Mayhem: Death on Bengaluru Streets

Tata-supplied electric buses for Bengaluru’s BMTC? Silent killers, apparently. Multiple fatal accidents: pedestrians crushed, buses mounting footpaths, blamed on rash driving, poor training, inexperience. Noiseless EVs sneak up, leading to tragedy – three of four recent fatalities not driver error, per officials.Public outcry demands accountability, but Tata faces no charges. Breakdowns galore – 12 in July alone. Green push? More like red flags everywhere. These buses symbolise Tata’s rush to eco-cred, skimping on safety. How many lives before they fix this shit?

Dealer Dodginess: Frauds and Customer Fiascos

Dealerships? Dens of deceit. Customers report defective vehicles, overcharges, abysmal after-sales. A Punch CNG arrives with 250km on the clock; Harrier claims go unresolved. Dealers threaten lawsuits for complaints.

Social media backlash is fierce – fraud in bookings, roadside assistance fails. Tata promises fixes, but issues persist. A Bengaluru court fines a dealer for selling an accident-damaged car as new. It’s systemic: scamming buyers, ignoring woes. Tata’s oversight? Non-existent. These wankers let franchises run riot, eroding trust one rip-off at a time.

The Nano Flop: From Dream to Dustbin

The ‘world’s cheapest car’ launches in 2008 amid hype, but crashes spectacularly. Sales plummet from 9,000/month to 509 by 2010. Poor marketing, safety fears, production woes – blamed on mismanagement and Singur fallout. Production ends in 2018.It was meant to revolutionise mobility; instead, it’s a cautionary tale of aspiration gone awry. Tata misread the market, positioning it as ‘cheap’ when buyers wanted prestige. Epic fail, leaving a trail of unsold dreams.

Canteen Horror: Condoms in Your Samosa

Mmmmmm, condoms (Homer Simpson voice). 2024, Pune plant: contractors stuff samosas with condoms, gutkha, stones – revenge after contract axing. FIR against five: Rahim Shaikh, Azhar Shaikh, Mazar Shaikh, Azar Shaikh, Vicky Shaikh. Not directly Tata’s fault, but vendor oversight? Laughable.

This epitomises the chaos in their operations. Workers munching on latex contraceptive wear, we have decided unanimously, is symbolic of deeper rot. Disgusting, preventable, and a PR nightmare.

Militant Ties and Corruption Probes: The Dark Side

Broader Tata Group accused of aiding ULFA militants in Assam via Tata Tea in the 1990s – funding treatments, payoffs. Similar claims with Naxals for mining, BODO militants at Taj Hotel. Investigations, no convictions, but the whispers persist.In 2025, CBI books Tata Consulting Engineers for £800 crore corruption in a port project – cheating, conspiracy. Ongoing probe, linked to infrastructure arm. Not directly Motors, but the group’s ethical fog envelops all.

And the 1990s Bihar showroom looting: during Lalu Yadav’s rule, vehicles nicked for his daughter’s wedding, forcing closure. Political interference at its grimiest.

Declining Sales and Fresh Scams: The 2025 Slump

2025 sees Tata’s EV sales tank – lowest since 2022, shares tumble amid JLR woes and domestic reliance. July sales dip 4%, passenger vehicles weak. A YouTube exposé alleges a scam; quality collapse across group, defective Punches replaced only for celebs.

Merger with finance arm adds £40,000 crore but dents financials, complicating IPO. Over-reliance on India, competition bites. It’s not just a dip; it’s a dive into irrelevance.

In the end, Tata Motors isn’t India’s pride; it’s a cautionary clusterfuck. Scandals stack like bad karma, from land theft to lethal buses, all while preaching ethics. Time to demand better or watch the empire crumble. Fuck that.

Lee Thompson, Founder – The Cummins Accountability Project.

Customer Corner : Tata Motors – Cummins, Condoms and Chaos