[kkg]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

The moral of the story being that even though he would be a perfect customer for the Nano ie a small family, owns a bike and needs a car, he is not even willing to consider it.

Same scene with a friend of mine. He needs a car badly because he travels with his wife and 5 year old daughter (on bike). He has traveled in my Nano many times but still he is not interested to buy one. He is considering 1999-2000 santros, wagon-rs, which would require more than regular maintenance.Not to mention that he still needs to learn driving.

I don't know how TATA would be able to re-image the NANO.But of late I am spotting many new 2012 NANos. All is not lost I guess.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by kkg

I don't know how TATA would be able to re-image the NANO.But of late I am spotting many new 2012 NANos. All is not lost I guess.

I really hope so. Recently the numbers have improved a little although looking at Alto's numbers month and month and the potential in this car, I am not really sure if those numbers are anything to boast off. I am not a Tata fan. But even then it pains me to no extent to see people just ruling out the Nano on its perceived Toy car/ cheap image and going ahead with battered old used cars which require a lot of maintenance.

Hope the launch of diesel does some good to the sales of this car. Also as more and more of them hit our roads, there is bound to be a reversal of opinion regarding its image and capabilities.

[shortbread]

The Nano is its own best marketing tool.

The more Nanos that reach the road the more people will experience it first hand what a neat little package it is and also the word of mouth.

[amtak]

Originally Posted by shortbread

The Nano is its own best marketing tool.

The more Nanos that reach the road the more people will experience it first hand what a neat little package it is and also the word of mouth.

I would agree. From zero nano's in my building to 3 in a span of less than 8 months certainly says. The more nano on road, the more confidence it'll inspire.

Besides, 2012 nano looks good!

PS: I just got a nano last month and loving it to the core.

[srishiva]

An automatic on Petrol is needed more than a diesel, dont you think so? When Alto sells so much more, I dont understand why would people buy a Nano with diesel.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by srishiva

An automatic on Petrol is needed more than a diesel, dont you think so?

Agree. Nano automatic would turn out to be the ideal second car in the family. I would buy one for sure so that my wife can use it for local commute and pickup/drop of kids.

Though diesel nano sounds exciting, i am not sure how the refinement levels will be with the small diesel engine.

[Jignesh]

Hello,

According to me the cause of Nano not selling good numbers could be as follows:

1. The image of Nano in India is one of the "Cheapest Car on India Roads" (Even media in US said that 5 iPhones could buy a small car in India).

2. "Car" in India is still a symbol of Luxury & not neccessity & Nano is positioned as basic necessity & not luxury

3. Nano buyers were assumed to be two wheelers owners who are looking for a upgrade to Car but cannot afford to buy 3 / 4 lacs cars available then. But Indian mentality is to reach the destination in shortest possible time & at least possible cost. Also the two wheelers in India are so much used to undeciplined driving, that a regular biker would not like to travel in Car (because of traffic). Two Wheelers stick to their scooters & bikes because they can find cracks in Traffic & move "far" ahead than cars.

4. Also the 1 laks car is not actually 1 lakh car.. the on road price is much higher.

5. Buying a Car in India is still once or twice occasion in life time for majority of Indians, so they would like to push their finance capabilities further & buy a Car that would serve as a "Prestige" value for them & Name as we all know offers no prestige value.

6. In Rural India & even in big cities like Pune & Banglore, two wheelers are a necessity as cutting thru city traffic. Thus whenever a person buy a Car, he will like to go for a higher model that serves as a luxury & not necessity.

Thanks,

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by srishiva

An automatic on Petrol is needed more than a diesel, dont you think so? When Alto sells so much more, I dont understand why would people buy a Nano with diesel.

An Automatic in Nano would not work IMHO. Why?
The Nano suffers from the bad image. A lot of us say that we will buy an AT Nano for those occasional city trips but in reality the actual number of people finally putting down there money would be very small. Moreover the reliability of AT box would be a big "?". Also the price would be a killer. Considering atleast a premium of around 60-70k for the AT box, we end up staring into the Alto/EON territory.
BTW does Tata even have an AT box on any of its cars in India apart from Aria? Infact Does Aria come with one?

The diesel engine is a whole different scenario. If they are able to keep the NVH levels to bearable levels then I feel it would have the potential of eating away the entry segment for breakfast, lunch and dinner. More so because buyers in this segment are the most money conscious. And the diesel advantage in today's market dynamics is a big factor. It would considerably reduce the fuel bills and the OTR price should still be just marginally below the entry level Alto or anyways very close to it. I can see a lot of potential customers who would be willing to live with the higher NVH levels. Ofcourse it should not sound like a Truck.

Originally Posted by Jignesh

Hello,

According to me the cause of Nano not selling good numbers could be as follows:

1. The image of Nano in India is one of the "Cheapest Car on India Roads" (Even media in US said that 5 iPhones could buy a small car in India).

In India I think only 3 of them will get you a Nano . Look at how Apple is ripping us Indians ...

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

In India I think only 3 of them will get you a Nano . Look at how Apple is ripping us Indians ...

Hello Drmohitg,

This was at time of launch of Nano (between 2008 & 2009) when iPhone was at USD 499 & Rupee Dollar was in 42 - 45 range.. iPhone was not launched in India at that time.

But given the current price of iPhone, yes you are correct.. only 3 iPhone can buy a Car in India. Infact I was recently reading about Apple in India & it was surprising that Apple is currently not seriously chasing Indian customers. Probably their products are already over-sold & do not have additional capacity or they do not consider the Indian market worth entering.

Anyways let us not deviate from the discussion here. Yes I agree that Diesel & Automatic Nano will be priced higher & that will further push buyers to go for Alto / Eon / Santro.

I have seen people ready to buy second cars but not buy a new Nano available at same price.

Thanks,

[Pallavi]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

The main reason behind Nano's dismissal sales is the Image of the cheap car that has been given to it.

Spot on Mohit.

Recently i was looking for a small car for my office commute as i discovered that i am spending a huge chunk of my salary on auto fare. Checked out various options including i10, Brio but the numbers simply didnt add up. I would be spending far more on the EMI, service charges and fuel.

Went for a TD of Nano 2012. Nice pick up, great AC, interiors are good and great FE. Dont need boot space. EMI + Fuel Charges < Auto fares. Opted for AMC. So very less service charges. Makes perfect sense. Will be using only in the city as we have a sedan and bike for family trips.

When i told my colleagues that i was considering a nano, the first response was "Why a cheap car like nano? Why not an alto?". Alto is costlier by a lakh and i didnt like the interiors. Plus Nano is not a cheap car. It is a well priced smart car

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Pallavi

When i told my colleagues that i was considering a nano, the first response was "Why a cheap car like nano? Why not an alto?". Alto is costlier by a lakh and i didnt like the interiors. Plus Nano is not a cheap car. It is a well priced smart car

+1. The whole problem lies in the people's mindset. They have already convinced themselves about the apparent cheap quality of material used in making the car. And most of them haven't even sat in one ever leave alone drive it. I can relate this exact phenomenon to some years back at the time of launch of Air deccan. I had an extremely tough time trying to convince people that its as safe as anyother airline. I was given all kinds of moronic baseless explanations of how some people had back-channel information about used, cheap, poor quality equipment used to make the Air deccan aircrafts and hence the unbelievable low prices. Only after I survived some dozen trips in the airline is when my friends and family started recognizing there mistake.

Offtopic: So did you finally opt for the Nano?

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by Pallavi

When i told my colleagues that i was considering a nano, the first response was "Why a cheap car like nano? Why not an alto?". Alto is costlier by a lakh and i didnt like the interiors. Plus Nano is not a cheap car. It is a well priced smart car

That is exactly what I pointed in my post (#337) above.

People are perceiving Nano to be a cheap car which is built with low quality Raw materials (which is not the case).

Pallavi, I definitely agree with you that Nano is a well priced smart car, but I wonder whether people's mindset will change or not.

Also kindly let us know whether you decided to buy one or not?

Thanks,

[Pallavi]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Only after I survived some dozen trips in the airline is when my friends and family started recognizing there mistake.

My manager asked, why a cheap car like Nano? I told him "i am trying to convince you that i need a really huge hike"

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Offtopic: So did you finally opt for the Nano?

Originally Posted by Jignesh

Also kindly let us know whether you decided to buy one or not?

Yup, decided to go for Nano LX, paid the booking amount and waiting for delivery . Will be delivered sometime this week

[zalaps]

Looks like Dhanush is feturing in next nano ad.

Dhanush new single featuring 'Tata Nano'. - YouTube

Loved him saying "I HAVE NANO"

[drmohitg]

Tata has always been good with there advertisements and this one too looks good. Now only if they could convert those customer inquiries into actual sales by improving on there dealer experiences.