India’s great automotive dream – the Tata Nano – took a big hit when Mamtaaji’s tantrums made Ratan Tata shut his nearly built plant in West Bengal. A trickle of cars from the temporary plant in Uttarkhand was disappointing to those on the long waiting lists and the agony was compounded by half a dozen accidental fires that made
the dream a nightmare. So when full production resumed from the new Gujarat plant the shine had faded. There had been too much hype about the Tata Nano making global history with the world’s lowest costing car so a backlash was predictable. The question on buyer’s minds now is – does it make sense to buy the Nano?
It has to be said that no country in the world has been able to produce such a complete modern car at such a low cost and a very cute one at that. When Tata Motors launched the Indica 10 years ago it was the first Indian car to break out of the grip of foreign technologies. Now there was an Indian auto technology to lead the world.
For easy comparison, the Nano is 20 Cms shorter than the Maruti 800 but 6 cms wider. So it will seat four large adults in comfort and be easier to park. It will also weigh 100 kg less so the 623 cc 33 bhp petrol engine will have to do less work but with electronic multi-point fuel injection it will be able to deliver enough stable power for an air-conditioner and for driving on mountain terrain. With a rear engine and transmission there will be less weight in front so power steering is not essential. The maximum speed is 105 kmph but is not very happy over 80 so it is great for city driving but not really fast enough for highway travel.
Most potential buyers like its cute looks but think that there is no storage space inside being unaware that it has quite a decent storage space behind the rear seats. Many therefore opt for a good second hand Alto, Santro, Zen or Wagon R at the same price. At a price of half the Alto it may not be a perfect all round car but makes a great second car. Tata Motor’s needs to re-engineer its image. Instead of positioning it as a poor man’s car it needs to be promoted as a cute and practical second car to fit the label.
The writer is an automotive analyst and the former editor of a national magazine