Finally!
After a long wait of more than three years, Tata Motors One-Lakh-Rupee Wonder has finally been revealed to the general public and has turned the automobile world upside down! The Tata Nano is today’s latest talk of the town where every Tom, Dick and Ramu wants to know about this car and give his “expert” opinion on it।
Scheduled to be launched in the latter half of 2008, with a promised dealer price of Rs.100,000 (US$2500) for non-AC base variant, this car is all set to become India’s VW Beetle or Ford Model T. Being an admirer of Tata Motors, let me take the opportunity to put forth my “expert” opinion on the Nano (since many of my friends and relatives want to know my thoughts too!).
Let’s get started:
Now that I’d seen a leaked photo of a bare-basic prototype (yes, I had seen it on a website) which was clicked more than one and a half year ago, Tata has done a splendid job in the styling aspect on the final product. The city-friendly tallboy design, the distinctive headlamps, the resemblance to stablemate Indica from the rear makes the car look pretty convincing. Having said that, the car looks a bit ungainly and unstable from some angles due to its high ground clearance and small wheels. Contrary to general expectation, the car doesn’t look like a four-wheeled motorcycle like that of the Habib Sitara from Pakistan, but it is as good (or as bad as) any conventional A-segment small car. Going by Mr. Ratan Tata’s quotes, the Nano is 8% smaller than the Maruti Suzuki 800 (nee Suzuki Alto internationally) from outside and 21% larger from inside. If these figures translate well in real life, then we surely have a winner. It conforms to India’s car safety norms, which is an added bonus.
A 624cc petrol (gasoline) engine [Euro IV emission norms compliant] with an output of 33 bhp sounds good on paper when one compares this with a Maruti 800 which costs twice as much and has a 796cc petrol engine with an output of 45 bhp. However, what I feel is that more than the power produced, the torque produced by the engine will be the most crucial factor in the long run, since that will determine the real-world driveability of the car in stop-go city traffic and overtaking on highways. It would be fair to comment on these aspects only after the car is launched and test-driven. As far as I know, the car would have a CVT transmission (correct me, if I am wrong) and this would make driving easier for city slickers (especially women) and amateurs too. Going by the manufacturer’s future plans, a diesel engine is on the anvil but there are no tentative launch dates declared for the same.
A claimed fuel efficiency of 20 km per litre (50 miles per gallon) seems achievable though the claimed top speed of 105 kmph (66 mph approx.) leaves an element of doubt in my mind, especially if the car is running on full load.
Ultimately, from first impressions, the car feels decent to fulfil the aspirations of an average Indian who is eager to climb the social ladder by owning a car but there are issues of resulting congestion which needs to be tackled. The problem of congestion and pollution should not be such a serious issue as it is projected (and exaggerated) to be. This is so because, an average 100cc motorcycle still costs around Rs.30,000-40,000 (US$ 800–900) and gives a fuel efficiency of more than 60 km per litre and thus, one shouldn’t expect the entire bike buying populace to shift to the Nano overnight and cause a mayhem in the streets. On the same lines, don’t expect the humble Bajaj RE Autorickshaw to be replaced by the Nano, because the running costs of a rickshaw will be much lower than that of a Nano!
After a long wait of more than three years, Tata Motors One-Lakh-Rupee Wonder has finally been revealed to the general public and has turned the automobile world upside down! The Tata Nano is today’s latest talk of the town where every Tom, Dick and Ramu wants to know about this car and give his “expert” opinion on it।
Scheduled to be launched in the latter half of 2008, with a promised dealer price of Rs.100,000 (US$2500) for non-AC base variant, this car is all set to become India’s VW Beetle or Ford Model T. Being an admirer of Tata Motors, let me take the opportunity to put forth my “expert” opinion on the Nano (since many of my friends and relatives want to know my thoughts too!).
Let’s get started:
Now that I’d seen a leaked photo of a bare-basic prototype (yes, I had seen it on a website) which was clicked more than one and a half year ago, Tata has done a splendid job in the styling aspect on the final product. The city-friendly tallboy design, the distinctive headlamps, the resemblance to stablemate Indica from the rear makes the car look pretty convincing. Having said that, the car looks a bit ungainly and unstable from some angles due to its high ground clearance and small wheels. Contrary to general expectation, the car doesn’t look like a four-wheeled motorcycle like that of the Habib Sitara from Pakistan, but it is as good (or as bad as) any conventional A-segment small car. Going by Mr. Ratan Tata’s quotes, the Nano is 8% smaller than the Maruti Suzuki 800 (nee Suzuki Alto internationally) from outside and 21% larger from inside. If these figures translate well in real life, then we surely have a winner. It conforms to India’s car safety norms, which is an added bonus.
A 624cc petrol (gasoline) engine [Euro IV emission norms compliant] with an output of 33 bhp sounds good on paper when one compares this with a Maruti 800 which costs twice as much and has a 796cc petrol engine with an output of 45 bhp. However, what I feel is that more than the power produced, the torque produced by the engine will be the most crucial factor in the long run, since that will determine the real-world driveability of the car in stop-go city traffic and overtaking on highways. It would be fair to comment on these aspects only after the car is launched and test-driven. As far as I know, the car would have a CVT transmission (correct me, if I am wrong) and this would make driving easier for city slickers (especially women) and amateurs too. Going by the manufacturer’s future plans, a diesel engine is on the anvil but there are no tentative launch dates declared for the same.
A claimed fuel efficiency of 20 km per litre (50 miles per gallon) seems achievable though the claimed top speed of 105 kmph (66 mph approx.) leaves an element of doubt in my mind, especially if the car is running on full load.
Ultimately, from first impressions, the car feels decent to fulfil the aspirations of an average Indian who is eager to climb the social ladder by owning a car but there are issues of resulting congestion which needs to be tackled. The problem of congestion and pollution should not be such a serious issue as it is projected (and exaggerated) to be. This is so because, an average 100cc motorcycle still costs around Rs.30,000-40,000 (US$ 800–900) and gives a fuel efficiency of more than 60 km per litre and thus, one shouldn’t expect the entire bike buying populace to shift to the Nano overnight and cause a mayhem in the streets. On the same lines, don’t expect the humble Bajaj RE Autorickshaw to be replaced by the Nano, because the running costs of a rickshaw will be much lower than that of a Nano!
My only fears are whether the Nano would be able to sustain high speeds, be durable to handle the daily grind of Indian roads and be (relatively) cheap to maintain. If these issues are solved beforehand, then there is no way to stop Tata Nano from being a global success! Competition is expected from Bajaj’s One-lakh Rupee Car to be developed in association with Renault-Nissan and of course from Suzuki, but at this point the real competition is from Ms. Mamta Banerjee!
Disclaimer: Please take my views with a pinch of salt, errr…. with a bucketful of salt because I am just an automobile enthusiast, nothing more than that!
Signing off,
