[KMohanan]

Originally Posted by wildon

My feeling is that the Word-of-mouth publicity is bad about NANO. I would like to ask, how many owners of Nano really recommended this car to those to shown interest after seeing your vehicle. The early niggles (which is still happening) is ruin the sales.

Kindly do not under estimate the nano. I own the nano LX for the last 8 months and covered more than 10,000 kms. We are seriously thinking of buying one more nano in our family.

[gshanky]

I have an interesting observation to share:

In my personal experience talking to friends and family while I was in India last month and also looking at the comments by fellow BHPians, I see that those who have a big car (read non-hatch) are more open to consider a NANO for local use. But almost all of those who have a hatch (from alto till i20) just deride NANO for all their worth.

When I spoke to a few of my cousins who are considering their first car, all of them want a fast car, so NANO seems out of their spectrum. Then there was my uncle who owns a powerloom factory - he would buy NANO if it were a hard top convertible. It would be easy for him to move the yarn and clothing for work and also travel with family. Currently he owns a bajaj M-80 and for big loads he hires the 3-wheeler goods carrier.

IMO there is tremendous opportunity for TML if they consider many use cases like these where NANO could act as a small MPV.

[sreedotk]

Originally Posted by gshanky

IMO there is tremendous opportunity for TML if they consider many use cases like these where NANO could act as a small MPV.

I think this is the Sweet spot where the Iris hits from Tata and the offerings from Mahindra - Gio

But i get your point the car has to serve dual purpose of being a Car as well as an utility wagon. The best bet but at a higher price point would be the eeco or the Omni.

Open top convertible of Nano would be a entirely different but eminently desirable option

[richie4u]

Well I dont know about the future of Tata Nano but currently I guess its on everyone's wish list. Well In my family's garage there are cars ranging from the Tata Safari to the VW Touraeg, but my preference for everyday drive is the Tata Nano LX, its the simplest car to have and drive and till yesterday I have almost three people on an average a week asking about how I feel about the car (well thats mostly because of my size, 6ft and club-bouncer size) and my answer is its worth the money you pay.

[pgsagar]

Nothing wrong with Nano. It's with guys who find Tata cars unpalatable for some strange reasons. Of all the cars in market, why does the thread starter doubt about future of Nano? I rather doubt about future of Jazz, Fabia and the like which I hardly see on roads.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Nothing wrong with Nano. It's with guys who find Tata cars unpalatable for some strange reasons. Of all the cars in market, why does the thread starter doubt about future of Nano? I rather doubt about future of Jazz, Fabia and the like which I hardly see on roads.

I have to agree with you. The sales for two months have gone down and people have started pulling nano down. And when some car by other company is launched, they say, give it some time, the sales will improve.

The last two months that have low sales is due to production constraint and not due to actual sales. I think TATA always supplies numbers which is from company to dealers. So lets wait it out, we may see sales surge in coming months as production gets more consistent and more nanos reaches tier ii and tier iii cities.

[fabiarider]

Originally Posted by crazycardude198

I know this may sound like a silly question but I have some doubts about its long term viability.

1) The Nano production line is behind schedule due to the Singur Fiasco. It will take some time for Tata to catch up. Not to mention that waiting periods are irritating potential Nano buyers.

2)News reports of a few Nano's catching fire can't help sales.

3) The automobile in India is a status symbol if nothing else. If you were buying your first car, would you want to buy one which is known as the cheapest car available? I mean, if you buy a Nano, that means that you cant afford anything else. Isnt that counter-productive?

4) Finance schemes are being used more often. It would seem more logical to spend on a "bigger" car (A-star,Alto, Indica etc) which is more acceptable on Indian roads.

5) I dont see Tata pushing the Nano into the fleet/taxi business. I feel that special schemes targeting taxi drivers and auto-rickshaw drivers would really contribute to the bottom line.

6) I am still skeptical that families who own only one two-wheeler can genuinely afford or maintain a Nano.

Nano is certainly in back foot now, but it will definitely make a come back. As the factory in Sanand starts production TML will also start aggressive marketing and sales campaign. As we have already seen with Indica what TML can do in long run. What was initially called as a very bad cab has improved a lot over the years and even now sells in decent numbers. TML will launch nano in different variants targeting customer segments which have never been explored before (like rickshaw drivers, city cabs etc). So verdict will come not now , but in future.

[amit162]

We've bought two Nano's in the family recently. Both are Nano CX. My brother's other car is an Esteem.Both of us have earlier owned a Maruti Van. My previous car was a Santro and now a Honda Jazz.Yes the engine is noisy (especially after the Jazz with its noiseless engine) though less inside more outside - when new it has a funny clatter, but this has subsided in my brother's car after its first service (driven 800km) to a more acceptable normal engine sound. My brother has tested it up the hills also - Dehradun Rishikesh - Narendranagar and Mussoorie and he is quite delighted. Let me tell you its wonderful to drive , easy to get in and out. The seating position gives a commanding view.Very convenient for my wife.I have two more Nano's down our street. One owner has a Civic , a i 10 and an Accent. The other has been bought by 4 B Tech students together as a mode of transportation to their University - an all weather transport! The car has a very effective AC and heater. I am surprised that for this cost ( Rs 1,58895/-) I have got a car that has every thing which works well. The headlights are powerful, so is the horn.The seats are all very comfortable.the car has a very spacious feeling and the finish is very acceptable. I hope this clears a lot of apprehensions. Though of course we will have to wait for a long term report.

[zipdrive]

Originally Posted by gshanky

I have an interesting observation to share:

In my personal experience talking to friends and family while I was in India last month and also looking at the comments by fellow BHPians, I see that those who have a big car (read non-hatch) are more open to consider a NANO for local use. But almost all of those who have a hatch (from alto till i20) just deride NANO for all their worth.

Nano might have been positioned as an alternative to two wheelers, which in my opinion has been a wrong move. Nano should have been positioned towards the middle class who would already have a big car, but want a second or even third car for the 'regular' trip to office, market or to the hair stylist, or even the car for the wife or daughter. If this was the case, Nano would have been seen as an aspirational vehicle to be bought just like the smart car from the Merc-Swatch combine.

Another advantage would have been, if positioned as above, Nano would have been bought by your rich neighbor and you dont feel ashamed to own one since the big fella already bought it. UP goes the aspiration value !

Since Nano is now positioned as an alternative to two wheeler- TATA wont get enough sales (might get eye balls though) from the second or third car owners and at the same time get derided by folks who just 'aspire' to buy a car and end up in all probably buying an Alto !

I own a diesel car, for which i am not giving justice to the 'diesel' factor as i just about cover 40 kilometers a day (travel to office and back but nit including my out of town trips). If Nano came in before i bought my car, my choice of transportation would have been a top end Nano for my city ride and a used saloon for my occasional out of town travel. I would have saved on a lot of money, had two cars, and still save money for insurance, tax etc with the two cars combined instead of the current amount spent on just one car.

If only TATA didnt project on the '1 lac' after the launch but just on the CAR itself, TATA would have scored a lot.

@gshanky- I subscribe to your view point !

[naj]

Originally Posted by crazycardude198

3) The automobile in India is a status symbol if nothing else. If you were buying your first car, would you want to buy one which is known as the cheapest car available? I mean, if you buy a Nano, that means that you cant afford anything else. Isnt that counter-productive?

Putting the above point in perspective and also what ACM pointed out regarding image and fad of buying a Nano ,I have seen that most first time car buyers shy away from bringing home a Nano.

Why I can say this?
I stay opposite a huge non premium 500 apartment complex . I actually saw it built in front of me and mostly all the accupants are urban middle class and first time Apt buyers.Three years down the line when pressures of loans/EMI's have eased up and they have risen up the ladder with better pay cheques ,I see lot many people buying their first new car every Diwali or Dussera or what ever day and all the cars are either Altos,Santros or Wagon -Rs. or Zens.
Since I use their jogging track I know few familiar faces who have bought their first cars and casually asked them why not a Nano?.Most of them replied that all is good about the Nano but the Nano was not a real Gadi. .

I feel that its the Indian psych or the psych of first time buyers that they are not able to accept Nano as a complete car.

This just what I have experienced .

Cheers
Naj

[hirajan]

Tata started "exhange 2 wheeler" for a Nano scheme. I think thats a great move and we definitely can see burning sales chart. Tata should increase the production volume though.

[gshanky]

Originally Posted by zipdrive

Nano might have been positioned as an alternative to two wheelers, which in my opinion has been a wrong move. Nano should have been positioned towards the middle class who would already have a big car, but want a second or even third car for the 'regular' trip to office, market or to the hair stylist, or even the car for the wife or daughter. If this was the case, Nano would have been seen as an aspirational vehicle to be bought just like the smart car from the Merc-Swatch combine.

Another advantage would have been, if positioned as above, Nano would have been bought by your rich neighbor and you dont feel ashamed to own one since the big fella already bought it. UP goes the aspiration value !

Since Nano is now positioned as an alternative to two wheeler- TATA wont get enough sales (might get eye balls though) from the second or third car owners and at the same time get derided by folks who just 'aspire' to buy a car and end up in all probably buying an Alto !

I own a diesel car, for which i am not giving justice to the 'diesel' factor as i just about cover 40 kilometers a day (travel to office and back but nit including my out of town trips). If Nano came in before i bought my car, my choice of transportation would have been a top end Nano for my city ride and a used saloon for my occasional out of town travel. I would have saved on a lot of money, had two cars, and still save money for insurance, tax etc with the two cars combined instead of the current amount spent on just one car.

If only TATA didnt project on the '1 lac' after the launch but just on the CAR itself, TATA would have scored a lot.

@gshanky- I subscribe to your view point !

I am all for TML rebranding NANO from a "Rs. 1 Lakh car" to "affordable car". That way I also feel more people will be open to NANO. I have suggested this in another thread a few months ago and there seemed to be no takers. I am glad you are with me on this one

With that said, even with the current positioning, NANO has a great chance with the sem-urban aka tier-2 cities and rural areas. TML should fix their production issues whatsoever and launch NANO all over india very soon. Otherwise the public might go another way.

[Desmosedici]

Everyone needs a powerfull machine to zip through the highways but how many times do we actually use the broad highways / expressways. For people with most of the travel spent in the city, the nano makes absolut sense. Been driving a Gypsy for the last 9 months in mumbai and last week got hold of a friends maruti 800. It felt so comfortable in the city traffic that i could just wiggle my way out while all th 'powerfull' long sedans were stuck.

Nano has a load carrying capacity for 4 people, a peppy engine for the city, the looks and the price to die for. What more?

It has made India proud and i guess slowly it will make a huge difference in the market.

[one-77]

The biggest factor the Nano has going against it is the image that comes out of owning one. It was introduced and marketed as the one-lakh car, the cheapest car in the world, the car that would make India trade in its two wheels for four. This is proving to counter-productive. The target customers are obviously first-time car buyers - the young man and the small family. But the young man would rather buy a Pulsar and the family could always go in for a used 800; both are cheaper and neither carries "I can't afford anything else" image.
And then of course, there's the two cylinder engine under the rear seat, that gives out a tuk-tuk noise that's all too familiar in India. Which would get a lot of people wondering if the Nano isn't just a spruced-up auto-rickshaw. Not good.
But maybe Tata could reposition the Nano to be precisely that. A replacement for the auto. A safer and much more comfortable means of public transport?
Perhaps India could trade in its three-wheeled taxi for four?

[altius]

It was suprising to note that Alto outsold Nano 10:1 in october. Though Nano's numbers could be explained to a shutdown or relocation of suppliers, it still doesn't explain as Alto has been outselling by 3 or 4 times even before that. Tata has to do a better job of clearing market perception of Nano as being small and unsafe while it is more spacious and probably more safer than M800 or Alto. I feel they should not harp on price (cheap) factor. As long as people percieve value for the money spent, people are willing to pay more. Nano with a more refined engine + power steering would be a excellent car for day to day use. Electric Nano would be even better!