Throwback to when Tata Group's Ratan Tata took sweet revenge from Ford Motors for disrespecting him by purchasing their luxury brands, Jaguar and Land Rover.
Ratan Tata bid farewell to his billion fans and admirers on October 9, 2024, but his legacy will stay here for generations to come. Thousands of people gathered at NCPA lawns to pay respects to the legendary business tycoon and philanthropist. In addition to thousands of people, India's leading politicians, industrialists, Bollywood celebrities, and esteemed personalities paid homage to one of the most-loved business tycoons in India's history.
On one side, while several events across the nation took a break to acknowledge the disheartening news about Ratan Tata's passing, the entire social media was buzzing with his praises. From publications writing about his greatest achievements to content creators hailing him for his contributions to society, tributes of Ratan Tata simply overshadowed everything. There's no denying that this will continue for weeks and months to come, as Ratan Tata's demise feels like a personal loss to almost everyone.
Ratan Tata made a series of decisions in his entrepreneurial career that changed Tata Group's fortunes and made India's mark in the global market. One such incident happened back in 1999 when Ratan Tata denied selling his fledging car division to Ford Motors. For the uninitiated, Tata Motors launched its first passenger car, Tata Indica, but it wasn't delivering good results in India due to a series of reasons. Soon, some people in Tata Motors started advising Ratan Tata to sell the particular division to Ford Motors.
Ratan Tata was quite skeptical about the decision to sell the business to Ford Motors, but due to the losses, he decided to take his partners' advice. A meeting was settled between the Ford officials and Tata officials at the Bombay House, and the American giants agreed to buy it. The second phase of the meeting took place in Ford Motors' headquarters in Detroit and changed Tata Motors's history.
During the meeting, Ford officials humiliated Ratan Tata and his officials by stating that they were doing a favour on his company by purchasing their loss-making car division. Not only this, but they also took a dig at Tata Motors and indirectly teased them by stating, "You do not know anything. Why did you start the passenger car division at all?" Ratan Tata said nothing at that time, but on his way back to India, he had taken a decision that is the reason why Tata Motors is now one of world's leading names in the automotive sector.
After being humiliated by Ford Motors in 1999, Ratan Tata worked hard to prove to the American motor giants that Indians are also capable of doing anything. As a result, in 2008, Ratan Tata was approached by Ford's chairman, Bill Ford, courtesy of the Indian billionaire's remarkable growth in India's automotive sector. Bill Ford offered to buy his loss-making luxury brands, Jaguar and Land Rover. Ratan Tata accepted his proposal and completed his sweet revenge on the American motor company. The entire chapter came full circle when Bill Ford thanked Ratan Tata for accepting his offer and thanked him for his 'Big favour'. He said:
"You are doing us a big favour by buying JLR."
There are thousands of incidents like this in Ratan Tata's life where he stood against people who disrespected his nation and its people. The billionaire made India's mark on the global stage with his Tata Group, and for this, he will be remembered for generations.
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