[cruiser@0523]

Tata wanted to pull a mini cooper or a VW beetle, but Nano does not have the image these cars had, neither is the car cheap for what it offers. I would greatly respect the nano if you could actually bring the car home with an A/c within one lakh.

[gkoneti]

1. Over publicity. People do not buy things that are too much in discussion. It gives the impression of zero novelty.

2. Perception of cheap. Indians want value for money.But not cheap products. By all means Nano is a cheap product that looks like an auto from behind with all the engine parts looking like an seven seater auto.

3. Indians have matured financial status since TATAs announced the Nano project. People now have improved salaries and perception of a car is more associated with luxury and prestige.

4. Emotions do not drive a business. Common sense does. VW did same thing by developing Bugatti Veyron. It is not meant to drive profits. VW knew it. They developed it because they could. as simple as that. TATAs have too developed NANO because they could. Now if it gives some profits, it's bonus. If not, it was never meant to be.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by cruiser@0523

I would greatly respect the nano if you could actually bring the car home with an A/c within one lakh.

Wow! You can never be pleased, can you? An AC car for under 1 lakh? What do you say to bajaj's autorickshaws which sell for more than what Tata sells a full-fledged car for. And mind you this autorickshaw has no doors, one wheel less,, has a scooter engine and was designed some 35 years back.

[teamveevee]

Once the price-protected 1 Lakh cars are delivered, Tata need to introduce an imporved Nano V2, supported by marketing blitz (Print, Visual media and online). Introduce more colors and options, with out worrying about the price too much. I would like to see a Nano Automatic with power steering. That will be the ideal vehicle for the female drivers(which is increasing day by day). Until the V2 is ready, it is better for TM to go slow (less no of cars produced) and concentrate more on quality, less no of unhappy customers. This is a new segment for Tata, and take time to fine-tune and formalize the right strategy. Appointing Accenture, indicates Tata is aware of this and trying to fix it. But i saw some news reports, that Production capcity of Sanand plant is increased for January and February.
Whether the Nano is a success or failure, the Brand Nano is a great success for TM, TM is able to draw the attention of the world becuase of this

[gshanky]

Originally Posted by cruiser@0523

Tata wanted to pull a mini cooper or a VW beetle, but Nano does not have the image these cars had, neither is the car cheap for what it offers. I would greatly respect the nano if you could actually bring the car home with an A/c within one lakh.

Heh, I guess you would respect NANO more if it were given to you for free

Looking at a few NANO ownership threads, it seems like the most important mechanical issue with NANO seems to be with the clutch. Other than that, if they make the sound more refined and launch a new marketing campaign around it, it should take care of business.

But I don't think anything is going to change until next February, by which time there could be announcements on the NANO variants including diesel. IMO, TML is clearing the decks with solving the supply chain issues by launching NANO off the shelf across the geographies. Once this is taken care of, they would be well set for the launch.

I suggest patience for a couple of months before coming to any conclusion. For a car that had global ambitions, the start was/is a disaster. However all is not lost.

[creative420]

I know I'm getting a bit off-track here. But are there any cars launching in this category? I heard Bajaj is getting into it. And to keep this on-track, I think this thread will come in very handy to Bajaj. :P

[the VTEC guy]

Originally Posted by ajman28

Then there is the case of the November figures. This most probably will be the production nos. Production is generally very low during Nov and Dec for all makes. So as correctly pointed out earlier in the thread, if the trend continues in Jan and Feb - then it's of a major concern.

These figures are dealer dispatch I believe. if this continues through jan and feb then there is really a cause of concern. Having said that Tata Nano should not sell less than 10k units per month.

[SAE40 in veins]

Originally Posted by creative420

I know I'm getting a bit off-track here. But are there any cars launching in this category? I heard Bajaj is getting into it. And to keep this on-track, I think this thread will come in very handy to Bajaj. :P

Rajiv Bajaj actually went on record saying that his Brand strategy is different (neither Bajaj nor Renault Nissan) and that his car would offer north of 30 KMPL.

Going by his liking for press conferences and speed of creating brands and discontinuing them, it looks like, a Bajaj Nano DTS Si is on the way Hopefully he doesn't follow it up with a Discover Nano DTS Si and Platina Nano DTS Si in a gaps of 6 month each and afterwards announce that he's exiting from 'very small car' business and that the new strategy would be to target 3 cylinders and above customers. . My condolences to Mr Abraham Joseph in Bajaj R&D.

[amoghchaphalkar]

A family that I know were interested in buying the Nano. (Family = Husband + Wife + 2 kids : One 6 year old and one 8 year old). Went to Pandit Auto to check the car. Took a test drive. Did not buy the car - went ahead and booked an Alto K10 (Lxi I think)

Reason : The two children complained "khup avaaj yetoy magay" (Too much noise at the back) The wife then decided to check the rear seat and even she was very unhappy with the engine noise and the bumpy ride. They concluded that if within a short test drive the children are complaining, on a long drive things would get worse (and with the increased engine temperature it might get more uncomfortable for the children)

They are of course shelling out more money for the Alto, but they say with the Alto they have piece of mind. Not so with the Nano !!

[srishiva]

Can they give Nanos for free with Aria and Jag models? Might help Nano's image to be seen with rich folks. Just kidding. Hope TATA can find whats lacking and fix it.

[ajman28]

Originally Posted by gkoneti

4. Emotions do not drive a business. Common sense does. VW did same thing by developing Bugatti Veyron. It is not meant to drive profits. VW knew it. They developed it because they could. as simple as that. TATAs have too developed NANO because they could. Now if it gives some profits, it's bonus. If not, it was never meant to be.

LOL. This sure is an outlook not thought of But on a serious note, I feel the TML has invested more into this project than VW did for the Veyron (pure assumption from my side).

Anyway if it was global publicity that TML was after, then they sure have hit the nail on the head.

Originally Posted by srishiva

Can they give Nanos for free with Aria and Jag models? Might help Nano's image to be seen with rich folks. Just kidding. Hope TATA can find whats lacking and fix it.

Another interesting idea. Buy 1 get 1 free. You hear it in textile industry, FMCG etc; why not in automobiles??? Maybe it would start another revolution!!

[rjalihal]

The shifting of the plant from Bengal to Gujarat is what has caused teh Nano to suffer low sales. Vital time was lost in this transition. The dealers over estimated the market. I would not say that the Tata brand name has anything to do with low sales, thats plain silly. But yes, the fire incidents did lot of harm to prospective buyers. It has become more of a niche car than a common man's car.
Some one said a People's car let down by People. A fitting statement that is!

[ananth_iy]

If you see who has been buying the Nano thus far, you will find it has is being predominantly bought as a second car. It has not been the first-time buyers - the ones moving from a 2-wheeler to a 4-wheeler. To analyse why this is so, we should look at who is riding on 2-wheelers.

In my view, the majority of people of 2-wheelers fall in 2 categories - the first, the young at heart who don't want to be held up in traffic - you can see this breed swarming like bees all around your car. The second, ladies on the Honda Activas and Scooty Peps. Even the ladies on Honda Activas and Scooty Peps fall in 2 sub-categories - the college going ones and the housewifes and the moms running errands.

Now you see, the Nano does not appeal to the first breed because they don't want to be queued up at the rear at a signal. It does not appeal to the second breed either because it would mean replacing the simplicity of an Activa or a Scooty Pep with a mess of gears.

My solution to the problem is very simple. Introduce the Nano with a CVT and we will see the sales soar. That is what Tata should have done in the first place actually.

[NFS]

IMO, there were many in the late 90s waiting for a 1lakh rupee car. During this time period, many could not afford the 2L maruti 800 and used to be considered as a luxury 800 AC etc. This situation changed in 2008 or 2009 when TATA introduced the car.

No Offence meant, my home painter asked me "Are you selling your Zen?" for which I politely replied NO. That is NOT for sale and I would want to retain it for a long time, I answered.

The purchasing power of the common man has gone up multifold. Today people are looking at Alto/Spark as a new pruchase, as it gives a better self-esteem than buying the Nano (the worlds CHEAPEST car). In India, buying a car is little of Ego + Prestige + Status + Show Off + Envy + etc.

To summarize, TATA introduced the CHEAPIEST car in a year where NONE WANTED the Cheap Car. If one can afford a maruti 800 why would someone buy the NANO? No huge cry for Maruti 800 even though it was stopped almost 6 months back in metros.

[Fornax]

How about: "Chaddi pe Gaddi Free"

I am not kidding, I heard this on a TV commercial some time back.