[bigautobuff]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

At a time when Alto sales have declined from 27k to 18k, when Eon's sales have reduced from 8.5k to 6.9k units, TATA Nano sales has grown, although not by much, but it DID breach the 2k mark.

Given the current advertisement of Nano tries to correct market perception, hopefully for TATA the sales would increase. Additionally IMO the Nano really does have utilitarian 'Awesomeness' to it.

It'd great for some more excitement around the product if they launched the Diesel mill by year-end. Although ownership costs have never been an issue it'll bring the footfall required, and hopefully people would truly give TATA the fair chance it deserves.

Some may think its unrealistic to expect an Petrol automatic version in this segment, but be sure TATA can definitely do it if push comes to shove.

One reason why I feel these launches aren't being made is that because of the massive amount of training it'd require for the service center staff, the whole NANO project may get affected because of the costs of the training.

One thing is for sure Tata Nano with its latest positioning has managed to draw attention of one and all. Predominantly, Nano was always a mass product looking to attract the youth with its compact size and its feasibility. After an initial apprehension, which is usual with new launches Nano has managed to find its feet in Indian Automobile segment.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by bigautobuff

One thing is for sure Tata Nano with its latest positioning has managed to draw attention of one and all.

Positioning does not change overnight and with a few ads. And moreover, re-positioning has always been a tough task for the marketeers...that too for a product which can be termed as a marketing failure at the best in its initial avatar.

Originally Posted by bigautobuff

Predominantly, Nano was always a mass product looking to attract the youth with its compact size and its feasibility. After an initial apprehension, which is usual with new launches Nano has managed to find its feet in Indian Automobile segment.

I am afraid neither of the above is true. Nano should have been marketed as a car for the youth from the beginning which was not done. It was never marketed as a car for the size and feasibility.

It was promoted as a car for those who wanted to migrate to 4 wheelers from their 2 wheeled scooters and we all know that how that 1 Lakh promotion exploded like a bomb in their own back garden.

Regarding the 'initial apprehension' which you state, I am afraid that the apprehension still remains and it will take more time for Nano to find its feet.

Its too early to tell.

[selfdrive]

Yes, Indians dont want to be seen in the cheapest car. And we don't want to have the Tata service center experience. And we all like the Nano but won't buy it. There is already a steady supply of Nanos in the used car market and anyone would get a used nano at about 60 percent of a new Nano. That takes care of about 20 percent of the overall demand. Needless to say, people look to upgrade from a Nano and most probably buy a used diesel car. If the nano had a diesel mill, that would be a different story altogether. 20 kmpl on petrol is good but imagine what a diesel would do!

But more than the niggles and the perception, it is not a comfortable ride. It is definitely more spacious and airy, but the inherent bumpiness is offputting to many. It is like riding on a camel wearing heels, especially when we try to brake!
No offence meant to the camel of course

Disclaimer: My daily commute is on a Nano.
Edit: sorry, in a Nano

[saket77]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

No offence meant to the camel of course

Disclaimer: My daily commute is on a Nano.
Edit: sorry, in a Nano

Love the sense of humour of fellow BHPians!

[ssingri]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

But more than the niggles and the perception, it is not a comfortable ride. It is definitely more spacious and airy, but the inherent bumpiness is offputting to many. It is like riding on a camel wearing heels, especially when we try to brake!
No offence meant to the camel of course

Disclaimer: My daily commute is on a Nano.
Edit: sorry, in a Nano

What tyre pressure do you run 26PSIF and 28PSIR gives an OK ride maybe comparable to a camel without the heels

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by ssingri

What tyre pressure do you run 26PSIF and 28PSIR gives an OK ride maybe comparable to a camel without the heels

The camel has tried heels of different sizes from 26 to 30. Problem is multiplied while braking.
To add to the conundrum (pun not related to the type of brakes!) I dont know if I will go from 40 to 0 in 20 metres or 30. Or in 5 seconds or 3

[GrammarNazi]

Just returned from a 200km drive (Bangalore-Krishnagiri-B'lore), was able to keep up with most other cars even with 4 on-board, having crossed 110kmph caused engine cut-off atleast 50 times just today. No one ever complained of bad ride quality. PLEASE NOTE : I drove with extreme caution and only when the situation absolutely allowed so. Afterall, my family was with me. Please drive slowly & carefully, our highways & traffic management are NOT designed so as to drive beyond 100-110kmph with regular cars.

( Dear Mods : Not attempting to boast of travelling in high speeds. Apologies if you feel so. Rgds)

Have previously been to MANY such drives including through the infamous K'giri - Tiruvanamalai (75km BADLY Potholed) road. Nano's independent suspension dealt with those roads rather well.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

...Yes, Indians dont want to be seen in the cheapest car. And we don't want to have the Tata service center experience...

Firstly, believe me, MANY of us Indians understand "Cheap" stuff as to have been manufactured efficiently. Some people have taken the liberty of trying to name our economy as an "Aspirational Economy", more often this seems to me as a polished way of calling us a "Wannabe Economy", which is a REALLY UNAPPRECIABLY condescending view.

Secondly, There we go stereotyping TASS again.
In the last 3 years of owning the Nano in Bangalore I have done many acid tests on TASS - KHT Motors. Believe me, I have CRIBBED to the absolute Maximum extent I could. Not to just anyone, from the GM (Service), the CEO, to the Managing Director of KHT Motors.

EACH & EVERY time, I was treated with utmost respect. They have genuinely taken their personal time out & looked into the matters I report. This shows, that atleast in B'lore, things have drastically improved.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

... And we all like the Nano but won't buy it. There is already a steady supply of Nanos in the used car market and anyone would get a used nano at about 60 percent of a new Nano. That takes care of about 20 percent of the overall demand...

And it STILL managed to cross its past sales track record.

...Needless to say, people look to upgrade from a Nano and most probably buy a used diesel car. If the nano had a diesel mill, that would be a different story altogether. 20 kmpl on petrol is good but imagine what a diesel would do!

Although running costs have never seemed to have been an issue, the Diesel mill would quite surely bring the footfall Nano needs at Tata showrooms. (Btw, I managed 22+kmpl today.)

But more than the niggles and the perception, it is not a comfortable ride. It is definitely more spacious and airy, but the inherent bumpiness is offputting to many. It is like riding on a camel wearing heels, especially when we try to brake!

I found it very much comparable to the Santro, Alto. Anyway, maybe this is subjective to some extent.

[ARG]

Originally Posted by FlatOut

With the French car, people were amazed by its comfort and economy, the VW was of a consistently high build quality, the Italian 500 was cute and cuddly and the Mini was eager like a puppy with a racing car feel to when off the lead. What else does the Nano offer?

And there you have it.

Notwithstanding all the qualities, that Nano die-hards ascribe to it, the TATA Nano offers to up the Indian-on-two-wheels to Indian-on-four-wheels - at the minimum cost.

Don't get me wrong : I'm pretty convinced, the Nano's a decent city runabout - and I haven't even been in one, yet! But it remains that the Nano has been tagged with the above USP, for good.

At a personal level, do I see a reason to buy the Nano? Hmmm. OK - if my niece / daughter were older, and pestering me for a pink scooter, I'd rather buy her a pink Nano!

It appears that TATA Motors is attempting a re-positioning lately. I hope they get it right. I, for one, would be sad to see it fade away.

[FlatOut]

Originally Posted by ARG

And there you have it.

Notwithstanding all the qualities, that Nano die-hards ascribe to it, the TATA Nano offers to up the Indian-on-two-wheels to Indian-on-four-wheels - at the minimum cost.

Don't get me wrong : I'm pretty convinced, the Nano's a decent city runabout - and I haven't even been in one, yet! But it remains that the Nano has been tagged with the above USP, for good.

At a personal level, do I see a reason to buy the Nano? Hmmm. OK - if my niece / daughter were older, and pestering me for a pink scooter, I'd rather buy her a pink Nano!

It appears that TATA Motors is attempting a re-positioning lately. I hope they get it right. I, for one, would be sad to see it fade away.

It would be interesting to hear from someone who has driven all sorts of good cars, including upmarket ones, as well as the Nano. Does it do anything really well beyond being inexpensive to run, even compared with the best you've driven?

[TheARUN]

The Nano is a 1 lakh rupee car, unless it comes down to that price band its not going to sell

I was just wondering, if Tata could come up with something mind-boggling like this - Instead of spending on advertising and promotions, what if they subsidise the car, they can put in 1,00,000 for every Nano sold and the customer would get the car at 1,00,000. Even if they sell 1,000 Nanos, they just lose 10 crores. By getting more Nanos on the road, they will be scoring brownie points and that will drive people sitting on the fence to their showrooms.

They have to act quick, else the quadricycle is going to kill the Nano

[sadsack]

The Tata Nano is a victim of many controversies starting with the Singur fiasco orchestrated by Mamata Banerjee and subsequently of the story of "spontaneous combustion". The cars did burn, but so have Ferraris, Audis and BMWs. Web based, self proclaimed journalists have written all kinds of rubbish and this in conjunction with the lost time in moving factory from the East to the West gave the competition to run down the car. Idiotic journalists did not help the cause either. On top of this, the poor and half hearted sales attempts of the Tata dealers meant that the car just did not get enough momentum to take off.

I have owned a Nano for two and a half years and it is a trouble free car which is wonderful to drive in the city. It can still sell in healthy numbers, but I think the vast proliferation of half baked journalists and people with illiterate opinions writing hogwash about the car makes it a difficult exercise. Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with the car and it can sell in good numbers. If the world wide web is a great tool for sharing information, the flip side is that it is also great for misinformation dissemination, and so at least in the Indian car market, the Nano can be a case study of how a pretty good and path breaking concept has become the victim of the negative propaganda over the the great democratic medium which is the www based internet.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

The Nano is a 1 lakh rupee car, unless it comes down to that price band its not going to sell

Agree to it. Right now its selling little short of the Alto 800 which is a conventional car as compared to the Nano. And someone who contemplates getting a Nano at 2.6-2.8 lacs ends up adding a few more thousand getting an Alto. In fact, Tata could well be themselves a factor for giving the Maruti 800 a new lease of life and now the Alto 800.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Firstly, believe me, MANY of us Indians understand "Cheap" stuff as to have been manufactured efficiently. Some people have taken the liberty of trying to name our economy as an "Aspirational Economy", more often this seems to me as a polished way of calling us a "Wannabe Economy", which is a REALLY UNAPPRECIABLY condescending view.

Secondly, There we go stereotyping TASS again.
EACH & EVERY time, I was treated with utmost respect. They have genuinely taken their personal time out & looked into the matters I report. This shows, that atleast in B'lore, things have drastically improved.

I found it very much comparable to the Santro, Alto. Anyway, maybe this is subjective to some extent.

I think it is condescending enough to assume that Indians need cheap stuff so lets take it to the extent of integrating headrests and removing the left ORVM and gloveboxes.

The Nano suffers from a limited range. It needed to have a top end model that was way better. Something with more robust build and comfortable (subjective) interiors. Something with front discs, power steering, more on the lines of how the Smart car is built. There is an entire segment for the taking, people who want a second car but dont want to go down the used car route. But are also unwilling to step down a few notches for their daily runabout.

I dont have a problem with respect at TASS. It is just that to resolve any issue, multiple iterations are needed. I dont like trial and error on my cars, that can be done at the local mechanic too. There have also been occasions that issues have cropped up after servicing. rattling and misplaced beading for example.

As for ride quality, it will remain subjective. But for me it is quite tiresome for my commute.

Edit: Maybe they should have the 60% buyback clause after 2 years as for the Manza. That will show some confidence in the product. The last time I asked the Tata dealer for a quote on my Nano, he said 70K. For a car I bought 15 months ago for 2L. How on earth will I ever buy a Nano or recommend one to anyone I know?

[blackasta]

TATA has got the TV spot bang on target IMO - now they just have to put in some effort in the car w.r.t PS / a bigger engine (believe me - no one I have asked likes that engine which sounds like a 'chota haathi!), and a better attitude to actually sell the car!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj7kFvk-T7g

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by bigautobuff

One thing is for sure Tata Nano with its latest positioning has managed to draw attention of one and all.

I agree, it certainly drew mine enough for me to buy it last week. Although to be honest, I always knew I was going to buy one, I was waiting for the debugging to be reasonably complete.

Originally Posted by saket77

Regarding the 'initial apprehension' which you state, I am afraid that the apprehension still remains and it will take more time for Nano to find its feet.

Agreed. My friends asked me last month - doesn't it catch fire?

Originally Posted by selfdrive

20 kmpl on petrol is good but imagine what a diesel would do!
But more than the niggles and the perception, it is not a comfortable ride.

The diesel is coming next year, but I hate to think of the NVH issues. I am quite happy with the less is more thinking of the 625 cc petrol twin.
In Pune city, I have no complaints about the ride. It isn't as good as regular hatches, obviously, but those cars aren't as much better than Nano as they are expensive.

Originally Posted by ARG

I'm pretty convinced, the Nano's a decent city runabout

That is exactly what it is. Separately, Tata will have to see how to crack the rural markets with it or a variant.

Originally Posted by FlatOut

It would be interesting to hear from someone who has driven all sorts of good cars, including upmarket ones, as well as the Nano. Does it do anything really well beyond being inexpensive to run, even compared with the best you've driven?

I can answer that - for a single person/couple, in an Indian city, it beats any upmarket car for ease of driving and parking. I can see myself giving it for valet parking without any concerns. Plus the usual dings and dents that city driving in India inflicts on cars is also much less a concern. Summing up, driving it in the city is a lot more stress free than using an expensive car. Which is why I bought it.
PS: The valet may look down his nose at me, but I don't care about these things anymore. There may even be reverse snobbery at play on my part here!

Originally Posted by sadsack

The cars did burn, but so have Ferraris, Audis and BMWs.
I have owned a Nano for two and a half years and it is a trouble free car which is wonderful to drive in the city.

Agreed. I think Tata missed a trick in aggressively countering the burning stories, they just did the engineer's job of addressing the issue via a design change to further reduce the rare instances of the catching fire thing.