Is a Rs 1 lakh car possible??

[v12]

Hi guys,
Well guys, what do you think? Will Tata really be able to give us a Rs 1 lakh car by 2010? I think it is possible. If the Govt could ease the homologation norms for $40,000 + cars, im sure in a few years they will be able to reduce excise duties for cheap cars.

But will Tata succeed in making thier cars cheap. If they are plannig a Rs 1 lakh "car" they should keep it like a car. Proper doors, windows etc etc. And not a golf-car on wheels crap like what Habib Motors did. A car is supposed to have doors and windows.
I guess it'll be better if Tata ties up with Kinetic and undertake their Citicar project. The Citicar was quite "car" enough for Rs 1 lakh. Looked like a car and was powered by a 500cc Briggs and Stratton engine. But after the death of Kinetic founder Arun Firodia and bcos the Govt wouldnt reduce excise, the project was stalled. I'm sure if Tata restarts or takes over the project hey would get back the Citicar much earlier than expected.

Your views on the 1 lakh car guys.

[manticore]

A very elusive dream this. Numerous manufacturers have tried their hands at the one lakh car, only to abandon the project later on. If the car looks like a 'car', then indeed the costs spiral well over the intended target, and if they get the pricing right, the car ends up looking like something right out of the Flintsones. People are really fussy about looks; a funny lookin car, however cheap it may be, most likely will not cut the cake. A very tough equation.
But knowing Ratan Tata for what he is, it's highly probable that he could discover a way through the problem. The sheer success of the Indica and the Indigo alone are reason enough to silence critics. The 1 lakh car is a different ballgame altogether though, but I guess he'll succeed in developing it, maybe it'll cost a little bit more. But imagine a Smart-lookalike at around 1-1.5 lakhs. Then again, I think it's at best a wait-n-watch game. Or probably wouldnt someone be better off with a second-hand 800??

[Rtech]

Well, after reading autocar's interview with Ratan Tata, I don't doubt that Tata may infact produce a car around the 1 lakh mark. However, what that car would really like is open to debate.

Tata himself has said that the base version of the car would not have doors or windows. The higher spec version would get doors and sliding window, while the top version would get roll down windows. He also stated that the car would not meet safety standards, but "would be safer thana to wheeler"!!

That statement sent shivers through me.

I really dont think the public will spend 1 lakh on a car without doors just for the sake of owning a four wheeler with a roof. 2nd hand 800's can be bought for less than a lakh and offer a far more complete package. I don't see the Indian public settleing for a car less than the 800, they would rather buy second hand.

Realistically, assuming that the Govt. does not introduce consessions for small cars, I don't see a car (as we know it) being produced and sold for 1 lakh. I think Tata knows that too hence he points out that higher spec versions will be essentially like the 800 albeit a better looker, and I guess thats what he counts on selling in real numbers, but the price would be almost the same as the 800.

The 1 lakh car is something like VW's 3 litre car....it makes the headlines but what actually sells are the more expensive regular versions of the car.

Rt

[aadix]

when the govt didnt allow, the eicher guys to launch the citroen 2cv to protect the maruti 800, i wonder wheter they would allow tata do do so?

also by year 2010, keep in mind the inflation cost, i doubt whter the car would be around 1 lac, think mr tata said the same thing in his interview?

he might be able to launch a car which looks a lot like the cub or reva
infact i feel he should search for alternate source apart from a 500 cc engine
like a fuell call or a ev vehicle

leaving all this aside as i am a big tata fan i am voting in an optimistic "yes"

[normally_crazy]

well ,

the 1 lac car dream of the tata's looks mighty difficult.

there are a lot many factors to consider .....the looks of the car, the features offered , the govt policy and taxes and many more.

even if the govt does improve its stand on the taxes and stuff , by 2010 i doubt anyone will buy the car offered ( no doors , windows ?? , no safety standards )

looks next to impossible.....but knowing the pechant of the indians for anything cheap....maybe.

but for now ..im voting for no.

[sriny_blr]

Atleast this might remove this damn auto ricks from the roads... one last hope

[shravan316]

A second hand 800 makes a good 1 lac car!....y bother??

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (sriny_blr @ Sep. 06 2004,17:00)]Atleast this might remove this damn auto ricks from the roads... one last hope

but the drivers will be the same and the car will go as fast for that price

[Shan2nu]

Does TATA mean -1 lakh x-showrrom or on road?? A 2nd hand M800 is anyday better.

Regards...
Shan2nu

[Aditya]

A Rs. 1 Lac car is possible. But, I'm sure it'll be something like a Minidor with 4 wheels instead of 3.
Unless you are hellbent on buying a new car, a used Maruti 800 is surely a better bet at that price.

[ported_head]

Till now, i never doubted the TATAs capability to produce a onelakh car. Actually, i still don't but to blatantly announce that the car will not be equipped with any safety features, hell not even doors. It's going to end up just like the Pakistani contraption, i say just smuggle those across the border. I must say i'm disappointed TATA, and your dream to put Induian masses on wheels is a forgotten chapter. It's already been done, by Maruti, go try something else. Why shouldn't people just buy a rickshaw, i think it's around a lakh already.

[GTO]

A one lac car is possible, but then it depends on what you term as a car. If you are talking about a 4 wheeler with good room for 4 people and a little luggage, acceptable levels of ride quality, refinement and safety....then its a flat NO!

1. The 1 lac car is actually never going to be one lac. With taxes and clip on doors/windows the price will be about 1.5 lacs.
2. Its going to be too basic, too utilitarian....One enfield or pulsar will get you much more respect that this car. I dont see too many two wheeler owners upgrading to such a contraption.
3. This vehicle will however be openly welcomed by the commercial sector. Expect to see overloaded 1 lac cars by the dozen. Just what our already congested roads need.
4. Safety : Its not going to speak of any. Tata was actually talking about body panels that are "glued" to each other.

Buttttttttttttttttttttt the main reason is that the one lac car already exists - Our very own second hand 800. Good pieces can be had for 75000, Its much safer, faster, zero maintenance and can be taken on the highway too. Also its socially acceptable. I could go to a restaurant in an 800, but no ways am I stepping out of a car with clip on doors.

GTO

[v12]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]I could go to a restaurant in an 800, but no ways am I stepping out of a car with clip on doors.

I wouldnt even step in

I guess if the excise duties are lowered TATA might be able to price the car below 1.5 lakhs. But still a car with clip-on doors is not at all acceptable. A car does not live on 4 wheels alone but a host of other stuff such as engine, reliability, doors, etc etc........Now what was that saying in the Bible abt Man and Bread

[Revvmaster]

Well, it is hard to say whether Tata can really pull it off or not. If you read ACI, you get the feeling that it can, but somehow it is fraught with problems.

The major problem lies with the Safety legislation that is up for India in 2005. What it probably means is the certain death of certain vehicles that do not adhere to the norms. Or, the manufacturers will have to shell out loads of money and resources in making these 'unsafe' cars somewhat safer, thus bumping up the original price.

So what SIAM has proposed is to let the Rs. 1 lakh car not be termed as a car, but a quadracycle. Now the quadracycle is a mechanised/motorized or non-motorized vehicle that doesn't necessarily need to qualify to safety norms. As of now, TVS is developing a 4 wheeled contraption for rural use for transporting goods at a price less than a rickshaw. The last meeting of SIAM with the government last month didn't bear any fruit, but it seems it might happen sometime soon. So the tata car might just get badged the same, a quadcycle.

We TBians generally don't come into the class of people whom are being targetted by Tata. Its the ones who probably have incomes less than Rs. 1 lakh a year who will be the target clientele. For those of us who want to spend Rs. 1 lakh or thereabouts on a car or as a second/3rd/4th.... the 2nd hand Maruti 800 makes sense.

Revv

[Revvmaster]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Why shouldn't people just buy a rickshaw, i think it's around a lakh already.

Well not really. A CNG autorickshaw that you find for public transport in b'bay retails anywhere between Rs. 1.75 lakh and 1.9 lakh. Time to call Maruti to sell 800s as competition to rickshaws? You bet!