SCOOP! Tata's One Lac Car - REAL PICTURE! And a debate on its suitability and impact.

[balaji_n29]

Wow!!!!...The car indeed looks good for a 1 Lac car..I get the feeling that its very much like the Zen Estillo, especially the front design... I think it will be a instant hit, unless there is some competition for it...

[abdul 65 amg]

when was the Tata Zing presented?

[tushky]

in 1998 autoexpo i guess

[killjoy]

there are 2 more photos along with the 1st one. all 3 of them were leaked last year and then tata had to go into damage control mode. why dont you post the other 2 photos also or let me know if you want me to...

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by killjoy

there are 2 more photos along with the 1st one. all 3 of them were leaked last year and then tata had to go into damage control mode. why dont you post the other 2 photos also or let me know if you want me to...

Nope. Dont post the two other pics - I know where you got them from and that you were asked not to post them too.

[Rekha]

Thanks for the scoop steeroid. first, hats off to Tata for this product . Good initiative and should appreciate Mr.Ratan Tata for bringing it to reality. But pricing should be done carefully else this product will have no great USP. will be a hit as long as the product doesnt allow a potential buyer to bring second hand M800 into consideration set.

As some BHPian had rightly pointed out, if Tata makes even some basic accessories or parts optional, then M800 will give it a tough competition and may even win it.

lets wait and watch....

[SuperSyn]

Does anyone know or is willing to speculate whether TATA have bothered to design this toy with any intention of getting semi-respectable ratings in crash testing?

Will it even be crash tested?

This is India, after all.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by SuperSyn

Does anyone know or is willing to speculate whether TATA have bothered to design this toy with any intention of getting semi-respectable ratings in crash testing?

Will it even be crash tested?

This is India, after all.

Would you rather have a crash in a scooter because that is who this is intended for.

[Centro-P]

Originally Posted by SuperSyn

Does anyone know or is willing to speculate whether TATA have bothered to design this toy with any intention of getting semi-respectable ratings in crash testing?

Will it even be crash tested?

This is India, after all.

I am pretty sure I read in this or some other article where it was mentioned that the car was tested for international safety and emission norms.

[ms_rana]

Hi,

TATA sells vehicles because they are cheap and they have wide service network. But do they actually make quality product??? I sincerely doubt it. Take example of Indica. It has gone through various changes has improved a lot over the years but still is it a quality product? No I do not think so. Only diesel Indica sells in numbers where there is no competition but the petrol version constitutes a small percentage of total Indica sales.

They will certainly sell this new car but on the sole reason of price. And it is not because of TATA brand either. I bet if Bajaj/TVS or even Kinetic launches a similar product in the market, it would sell like hot cake. Lets accept it that Indian market is very sensitive to price; quality etc. takes back-seat. The picture of 1 Lakh car shows a good effort went into the design but even if they had shaped it liked ACE then also it would sell in numbers.

It is a pity that government of India has not set any sensible mandatory safety norms. Mahindra Scorpio had not underwent any crash testing when it is a substantially bigger and faster vehicle (at least this is what the scene was nearly a year ago; don't know if they have actually carried out any crash testing yet)! I suspect if there is any government defined mandatory rating system that a car company must abide to. In my opinion the government should make collapsible steering and ABS mandatory on all vehicles. Even if it pushes the price up a couple of thousands; people who want to buy a car will certainly buy ... even at a slight premium which would ensure increased safety. I own a Santro and till recently was aware that new Santro Xing has ABS as on option. But now Hyundai too has dropped ABS as an option with Santro. It is a real pity seeing credible manufacturers making such a move.

Now here is the interesting point ... Maruti has not stopped production of 800 model. Wonder why? Because when the TATA 1 Lakh car would be launched, immediately within a day or maybe the same day of TATA's launch, Maruti would launch a stripped down version of 800 at a price which would be a little more than TATA's car. I am damn sure about this. Such a move from Maruti would certainly influence prospective buyers. And with M800 being such a proven vehicle, it would make a strong case for itself. I bet as with all TATA vehicles, the 1 Lakh vehicle will take more than a year to iron out engineering glitches.

Finally my say is that TATA 1 Lakh car will sell but it will share market with M800 in that segment. One segment of Automotive industry would certainly be very vey happy with TATAs launch ... spurious/fake parts manufacturers and auto-workshops

[BunnyPunia]

why are many of you still calling it a 1lac rupee car? No way will it cost 1lac OTR..
anyways, Yes, Tata's one lac rupee car was always overhyped. What is the big deal? If tomorrow, Bajaj adds one more wheel to its 3-wheelers, we will very well have a cheap 4wheeler, good for four adults. Ok, even that wont cost 1 lac, but may be 1.2-1.3 for sure.
Tata's much hyped car for the masses will no doubt cross the 1 lac rupee mark by a huge margain. But yes, Im very much interested in the car. Im eyeing the A/c version, which if priced at evensay 1.6 to 1.7 lac OTR will be the car to have. Why? I will tell you why..
I just shifted to Mumbai, where, from June to September, the monsoon's fury means you land up in the your office, or back home fully drenched. Then from Feb to May are the hot months, wherein, one lands up in the office half drenched in sweat. And from May to June, the humid months. So basically, i do need a cheap 'car', with the comfort of an A/c. The cheapest thing that comes close is a A/c M-800, but even that costs 2.4 OTR in Mumbai. Saving 70-80K on the TATA car is a lot for more, add in 20-25% better fuel economy, and the fact that 90% of times i will be travelling alone in the car, so space isnt an issue for me.
Loans have made our lives so easy, havent they. I wish to pay a downpayment of 20%, say around 35k, and the rest on 5yr installments (ok, i will pay back the whole amount after 3 yrs when i have a good fat pay-check!), and all this means i will be paying just 3050 per month, plus around 3200 for fuel, for office commuting as well market ones. Great. It will also stack up all my gear for the himalayan rides and still be cheap on the pocket with a fuel efficiency of 22-25kmpl. GREAT. TATA, I m all game for your car

PS: smaller the car, smaller the system required. Savings on the music part too?
PPS : a second hand one yr old Alto, to me, doesnt make sense. I dont get free services, warranty period is less and it will guzzle 25-30% more fuel.

[moralfibre]

Nice picture Steeroid. I am sure Tata will give this car a VFM package.

[sreedotk]

Going a little Off Topic

Comparing the one Lack car to the Erstwhile auto rickshaw interms of Costing would be a little skewed. Becasue pricing depends on lot of factors and one of the primary ones are how many can you sell.

I dont think Bajaj or Piaggio can sell as many Autorickshas as Tata or Maruti would sell cars. Would they?

Mods if this needs to be a seperate thread please do the needful

[srishiva]

I guess a bajaj auto with a added wheel would be a worthy competitor. If they could run this on air, they might have a winner. Will have to wait and see.

[dadu]

Originally Posted by SuperSyn

Does anyone know or is willing to speculate whether TATA have bothered to design this toy with any intention of getting semi-respectable ratings in crash testing?

Will it even be crash tested?

This is India, after all.

No not in india atleast till they bring out more stringent rules. See my other thread (How does Testing and Certification of Indian vehicles work)for what is currently tested.