[Mpower]

Same story here. Lots of interest in the Nano

Tata Nano stops over near Chicago on way to Detroit

[GTO]

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

As Kalam says "Indians feel ashamed to buy an Indian product". I totally agree with him.

Outdated comment, really. The Indigo platform is the second best-selling sedan in India, in a neck to neck battle with the Dzire. The Indicas (old and Vista) were on the No.2 best seller list for a couple of months. The Scorpio, despite its 8 - 11 lakh rupee price - sells respectably well (3,000 units a month). Bajaj is the most formidable motorcycle manufacturer in India. On a related note, Taj gives a royal hammering to the Hyatts (and the like) in the hospitality sector.

I don't think anyone is ashamed of buying an Indian car. As I said earlier, your (and Dr. Kalam's comment) is out of tune with current time.

P.S. : 50% of my garage is Indian

[shankar.balan]

We've had lots of Indian cars in the garage.

Right from the old Indian Fiat (Premier) and the Amby and the early Mahindra Jeeps all the way through the 540's 550's and Bolero and Scorpio and the Indica Turbo V2.

I am proud of the way our Indian vehicle manufacturers have come up trumps with products like Bolero, Xylo, Scorpio, Indica V2 Turbo Diesel, Indigo CS, Indica Vista, Indigo Manza etc.

Even the Suzukis we ve had in the middle - 800's, Gypsy's and Esteems etc were all Indian Made Marutis so they are more than lets say 95% Indian (parts etc).

No reason not to like and buy an Indian product if it suits your needs well and provides good quality and value at a fair price.

[amit_purohit20]

@GTO I feel great to have your comment on my opinion. But I still feel Vista could have easily been the largest selling hatch in its segment had it not a Indian company badge. I have talked to many people and still they feel that Tata makes bad products.I feel at the back of there mind its the Indianness which they dislike.

[avi550m]

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

@GTO I feel great to have your comment on my opinion. But I still feel Vista could have easily been the largest selling hatch in its segment had it not a Indian company badge. I have talked to many people and still they feel that Tata makes bad products.I feel at the back of there mind its the Indianness which they dislike.

@amit: I wouldn't really call it 'Indianness', but a perception that Tata products have a build quality which is not up to the mark of some of its competitors.

Also, India has not had a long automobile tradition and industry unlike the Japanese, Germans or Americans. Hence, we don't have a reference point for an Indian car. Say, the German reference point is quality and solidity, the Japanese have efficiency and reliability.

If we do have a reference point, it is an unfavourable one partly created by the History of Indian companies making cars. E.g HM Ambassador, the first batches of Indica etc. Since the products were not really built to as high a quality standard, they got labeled as poor quality products. Also, Tata's service standards are still not great. This further reflects poorly on their products, as does bad publicity (Nano's catching fire?).

But, it did not have to be this way.

Why?

Look at Hyundai. Korean cars??? Noone had a clue about them a decade ago, and even when they entered the Indian market. But they built cars of a reasonable to good quality and backed it up with good service. Ergo, they now have a much higher standing in the eyes of Indian customers, and this is backed by their sales figures.

If there is a bias against Indian cars, it is one that has been crated by of the Car Companies themselves.

[amit_purohit20]

@avi550m Hmm it makes sense to me now,I have realised that its still a long way to go to assure Indian customer of good quality by Indian car company.

[fz_rider]

Here's an interesting article on Nano , which I found out on the economic times's website :

The people’s car is a hit with the corporate swish set. Among the 67,000 Tata Nano owners are corporate chieftains who otherwise ride on cars whose four wheels alone could buy the people’s car. At the Lutyens’ Delhi residence of Anand Burman , the chairman of Dabur India, a champagne-coloured Nano rubs bumpers with a Mercedes S-Class, a Bentley and a Range Rover.

When he got his Nano two months ago, a Dabur employee recalls, a gushing Mr Burman dragged his colleagues outside for a look-see. “It’s cute and convenient,” he says. It’s a reaction the Rs 1-lakh car has been evoking among people who otherwise, in their choice of cars, don’t seem to give a fig about price, fuel economy and the like.

Captain Krishna Nair, chairman of Hotel Leela Ventures, is a proud owner of a Nano. As are K Mahesh, CMD of Sundaram Brake Lining; Vinoo Mammen, CMD of MRF Tyres; and VC Burman, former Dabur India chairman.

While they marvel at the Nano’s affordable positioning, it was the intangible that made them travel the distance from admirers to owners.

“It’s the pride of India,” says VC Burman, high commissioner of the Nicaraguan embassy. Ratan Tata promised India and the world a car for Rs 1 lakh — about half the price of an entry-level car — and delivered. While VC Burman uses the Nano to do personal work in the capital, he gets a greater thrill knowing visiting foreign delegates at the embassy will see this made-in-India, game-changing car.

Yet, there’s a dash of irony in the neo-rich, who mostly move in vehicles that are anything but an advertisement for value, plumping for the Nano. Never previously has a small car been embraced in high society like this. Santosh Desai, adman and social commentator, puts it down to branding. “The Nano allows its users to be what other small cars don’t,” he says. “It’s Indian and is a mark of innovation. And the Tata tag gives it respectability.”

Captain Nair liked the courage of Ratan Tata’s endeavour so much that he ordered a Nano when it first opened for bookings in March 2009. And when he got it, the 89-year-old hotelier wrote a complimentary letter to Mr Tata. Captain Nair and his 78-year-old wife, Leela, use the Nano to drive around the surroundings of the Mumbai airport, where his company has done extensive landscaping work. “We have almost stopped using the BMW and, sometimes, even the Rolls Royce for our long evening drive,” he says. “Leela loves it.”

While Captain Nair relates to the Nano on a nationalistic plane, Mr Mammen is a financial stakeholder in the car. His company, MRF, makes the different-sized tyres in the Nano work. “We were involved with the project from the beginning,” says Mr Mammen. “So, there was a natural curiosity.” Mr Mammen, who has a chauffeur, has since dropped his E-Class Mercedes for the Nano. “It’s light and flexible. And it’s easy to get in and get out.”

Mr Mahesh of Sundaram Brake Lining is also angling to become a stakeholder in the Nano. The company has been cleared by Tata Motors to supply auto parts for the car. Mr Mahesh, who drives himself, likes the car’s drive quality. “It has good headroom for a six-footer like me and amazing sedan-like comfort,” he says.

Nano’s emergence in India as a preference or statement — of whatever — has precedents elsewhere. For instance, in Hollywood, the Toyota Prius , a hybrid sedan, is a big hit. Its owner-fans include Cameron Diaz , Leonardo DiCaprio , David Duchovny and Rob Reiner. George Clooney and Dustin Hoffman make their statement with another hybrid, the Tesla Roadster. In India, for now, it’s the Nano that is doing the rounds.

[vinaydas]

Seems like the nano is not made its mark to the targeted market as expected(the aam juntha). Rather it's now the Rich man's toy.

[fz_rider]

In this weeks Autocar show , Hormadz mentioned about improved NANO on cards ! He said , the B pillar will be moved further or redesigned for lower NVH levels . Also the steering will be lighter . Different iterations of Nano are on cards .

[nanduchitnis]

Tata cars start to rock the markets a year after launch, once all the niggles are sorted out. Nice to lean Corporate Heads are driving the Nano.

[fz_rider]

Now , NANO will be available at BIG BAZAAR ! Tata motors have tied up with the Future group , and nano will be available at 120 outlets of big bazaar . Nano can be booked at the outlets , and freebes like gold coins are up for grab .

[cuboid]

Heard on TV (UTV Bloomberg, probably) Tata is working on a 3-cyl diesel unit for Nano, launch is expected around July. The reporter quoted interior sources for a price of around 2.25 lakh. Also, Tata is working on a new improved version of Nano - same version as mentioned by Autocar show?

Would this 3-cylinder be the same engine as Pixel? If yes, then it has to be refined for european/US norms. Very good. Excellent, actually.

Bring on the Pixel, Tata, please. At around INR 3-lakh. It's finger-licking good.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by fz_rider

Now , NANO will be available at BIG BAZAAR ! Tata motors have tied up with the Future group , and nano will be available at 120 outlets of big bazaar . Nano can be booked at the outlets , and freebes like gold coins are up for grab .

More interestingly of the 8262 nanos sold in Feb, 450 through BIG BAZAR, Good beginning.

Industry officials say Big Bazaar has already sold more than 450 Nanos since the experiment began a month ago. That is more than 5% of Nano sales in February.

Big Bazaar helps Tata Motors drive Nano sales - The Economic Times

[directinjection]

Originally Posted by cuboid

Would this 3-cylinder be the same engine as Pixel? If yes, then it has to be refined for european/US norms. Very good. Excellent, actually.

Pixel is said to have a 1200 CC 4-cylinder block so it's quite possible the Nano engine is derived therefrom in which case it should be a 900 CC unit. The original plans called for a 2-cylinder unit. Seems like the idea was given up due NVH issues inherent in a 2-pot diesel.

[directinjection]

Originally Posted by teamveevee

More interestingly of the 8262 nanos sold in Feb, 450 through BIG BAZAR, Good beginning.

From some 500 units in November'10 to 8K in February'11 is a big improvement, thanks to the promotional campaign. However, the numbers are still modest. Remember, Mr Tata had said he hoped to sell a million Nanos every year! May be diesel version will do the trick.