[KMohanan]

Originally Posted by ac 427

I have been working on the car category for now more than 5 years now. The following is my reason why the nano is not working.

Historically India overall has a 'Herd mentality'. I.e to to do what the neighbour is doing. Safety in numbers. Not taking chances...etc etc.

1. The nano generated great hype and interest when it was announced, sadly it failed to launch at the time promised when the interest in the car was high. The W Bengal government is to be blamed for it. In India it is very important to launch when the momentum is with you. The Nano apparently had around 50,000 bookings, if it had launched at that time and if the plant was workign at the capacity it was supposed to, I guess today we would have not been discussing this.

2. I DO NOT believe that 'fire' hazard is the reason why the nano is not selling. In rural india almost 35 % cars are fitted with illegal CNG / LPG kits. No one gives a rats backside about safety here.

3. The Neighbour effect. As mentioned by me above, the herd mentality. If Indian people do not seen cars on the roads, they deem the car to be a failure and hence will NOT buy it. and then stories like the car catching fire actually caught on and gave people another reason for not buying the car.

4. I believe that the fate of nano is sealed. I don't think this car can be revived. In the indian car industry there are NO Phoenix. History is testament to that.

R.I.P Nano
ac

It is too early to comment on the future of Nano. Do you know that the sales of the alto was not at all encouraging during the initial periods ?

I think Tata can still make the car a success by simply providing an openable hatch. Remember to provide the option to the already existing customers also.

[swiftnfurious]

I just read the revival plan for Nano by TATA.

They are offering 4 year warranty free with the car - policy applies to the already sold cars too !

Link : Nano solution - Yahoo!

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Do not have the patience to go through all these 17 pages - sorry.

Just have been seeing the full page ads for the Nano and peace of mind. IMHO, they may be berter off hiring some star - like Shahrukh Khan and the Santro - and hike teh prices still further.

El cheapo is not always good impression in minds of customers - but that is a secret only pointy haired MBA types know. Don't they hire any of them at Tata Sons anymore?

Even the Indica / indigo / vista will see a boost if priced properly - up and in the proper league in conformance with all those extras they provide. This will also provide them the proper justification to maintain quality, fit and finish.

[freakmuzik]

I think TATA has to work hard to publicize the car well. Its only in the recent times that i come too see an advertisement of the NANO in the newspapers. And most of the people have a bad perception about the nano, thanks to the media, in which i just have seen the "FIRE" reports. So when the general public come to know only about such stuff, isn't it sure that the car is going to get a poor reputation. Thanks to T-Bhp and its other members, we people are really informed about these.

And TATA motors is doing a really good job regarding the following-up part. Have received many calls from their head office. And once when i informed them regarding my poor experience in the dealership while i gave my car for the first service, they apologized and immediately called up the dealer! Within a few minutes i received a call from the dealer saying sorry and that the matter would be looked upon. And the dealer had called us for an exclusive "nano owners" get-together, which is going on right now for which my parents have gone. All together as a nano owner, i am extremely satisfied with the car and with the service offered, though i faced some problems during the purchase time(main culprit for many potential customers opting out for others!).

Altogether i would like to see TATA advertising the nano properly and it would be better if they could handle the "FIRE" incidents with much more transparency, so that the general public would get to know the reasons better.

Cheers! :-)

[greatmana2000]

Originally Posted by ac 427

1. The nano generated great hype and interest when it was announced, sadly it failed to launch at the time promised when the interest in the car was high. The W Bengal government is to be blamed for it. In India it is very important to launch when the momentum is with you. The Nano apparently had around 50,000 bookings, if it had launched at that time and if the plant was workign at the capacity it was supposed to, I guess today we would have not been discussing this.

R.I.P Nano
ac

Why should you blame the WB govt ? Would you be pleased if the govt in your state forcibly took your land or building for less than the market price ? Would you be too happy to lose your buildings or property which give you rent or the place to stay in the name of development ?
An industrial development is good , but at the same time , if the govt offered 25-50% of the current value , no one in his right senses would give his or her property .

[the VTEC guy]

Tata surely seems to have taken steps for increasing sales of Nano.
1. safety features to be added
2. 4 year warranty
3. A very nice aspirational TV advertisement that has started airing from past few days

[teamveevee]

Stumbled upon this article in Tata Media Center Tata group | Tata Companies | Tata Technologies | Articles | Sting in the tailgate

[Tata Nano desing is] striking an innovative balance between cost and features. This balance gave rise to a number of excellent features, such as economy, space, style and safety. But there was one demerit that had become a cause for consumer dissatisfaction, and it became known through customer feedback and media reviews. The complaint was about the difficulty of accessing the luggage compartment in the Nano.
The small car did not have a tailgate at the rear, on account of space constraints, since the engine is located there. In the interests of structural stability, no door could be provided, as is the norm in a conventional tailgate.

The result was that passengers sitting in the rear of the Nano had to vacate the seat for the luggage to be accessed. The rear seat had to be unlocked and folded forward to enable access to the limited space in the luggage area.

After the luggage was stowed or removed, the seat had to be pushed back and locked into position. This made it a very inconvenient and unattractive feature. There was also a fear that repeatedly locking and unlocking the seat would compromise the quality of the component.

The innovative solution to the problem is "a sliding tailgate" that can be operated by a handle that can be hidden under the T monogram. [Read the rest of the story]

It is now up to Nano drivers and enthusiasts to appreciate the worth of the team’s innovation.

When will this become available to the customers?

[arjab]

Read the article. On paper looks like a brilliant solution keeping in mind the cost and engineering boundaries. Kudo's to the TML team. Am sure they must have tested the sliding mechanism for DQR (durability, quality and reliability) for repeated opening/closing

Anyways its a brilliant effort . Another NANO first and a tribute indian engineering ingenuity

[sridhga]

The most attractive color seems to be 'Sunshune Yellow'. They need to bring out more such interesting and tempting colors eg: bright green etc and promote such colors as 'cool' and 'in-thing'. They should look to promote 'Nano Experience' and such an experience should encompass pride in owning a Nano.

[tsk1979]

4 year warranty seems nice, and the 99/month plan, even nicer. We are kind of sitting on a fence. Need to retire the indica, and get a small car for city runs.
Now the Nano will cost 1.87 ex showroom with bells and whistles, however, the Alto is 3 lakhs!
I guess Nano makes sense now, and there is no worry even if parts fail as its covered with a 4 year warranty, and even regular maintenance is covered under 99/mo plan

[sanagg1]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Now the Nano will cost 1.87 ex showroom with bells and whistles, however, the Alto is 3 lakhs!
I guess Nano makes sense now, and there is no worry even if parts fail as its covered with a 4 year warranty, and even regular maintenance is covered under 99/mo plan

IMHO Nano makes a hell lot of sense.
However, perceptions make a great deal of fear of unknown. Not for Bhpian i believe.

Cheers

[bblost]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Just have been seeing the full page ads for the Nano and peace of mind. IMHO, they may be berter off hiring some star - like Shahrukh Khan and the Santro - and hike teh prices still further.

IN fact I would go further and state that they need to produce a movie. Starring maybe Amitabh Bachan.
And Amitji is a retired college professor who drives a super cool yellow Nano.

Love the current no downpayment, only emi plan they have been advertising.

[musicmanaman]

Originally Posted by bblost

IN fact I would go further and state that they need to produce a movie. Starring maybe Amitabh Bachan.
And Amitji is a retired college professor who drives a super cool yellow Nano.

Love the current no downpayment, only emi plan they have been advertising.

I think I said this earlier, the zero downpayment actally works out to downpaymet of about 24k, which is towards road tax and insurance, the car itself is financed 100% ex showroom, and the EMI works out to Rs 4774 for 4 yrs. There is no 30k discount as posted by some member in the forum in some other post, atleast not in Kolkata.

[mrkanitkar]

I recently done test drive, I felt the ride too harsh, change of gear is still issue.
I think PS, easy gear shift or automatic, zero cabin noise, comfortable back seat cushion is missing. I would buy one if they fix it.

[arbj2]

Here is my feedback.

My likes..

- Its quite spacious for a small car, the 'tall' design is also good.
- The seats are placed high enough.

My dislikes

- The car shape is not proportional.
- The front and the rear ends look almost similar. There should be some distinction between the two. Volkswagen Beetle had a buggy look, but it is more appealing than the Nano.

- The front seats are mounted on bars. Now seriously..guys, this kind if technology is usually expected in an auto-rickshaw and not in a car.

Some improvements

- A hybrid or an electric version should also be available as an option. Of course the cost may increase. An electric version could be very appealing to people who have to commute in cities.

thanks
a