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Nano against established Indian brat pack

Adil Jal Darukhanawala  Images: Kunal Khadse  Graphics: Shivaji Mane & Manoj Kumar Nair  23 Mar 2009

View :Tata Nano Special Coverage
Nano against established Indian brat pack
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Page 2 : The rivals!

Page 3 : How the Nano triumphs over bigger rivals

Small has always been the big BIG in the Indian automotive world and with the advent of the Nano this is sure to mushroom in an even more emphatic manner. In a world of 3.3 metre small cars comes a micro-mini packing a massive wallop which leaves the established set gasping. Adil Jal Darukhanawala aided by the ZigWheels team tries to put together a set of statistics around the Nano and relate them against the Maruti 800, the Hyundai Santro Xing, Chevrolet Spark, Maruti Alto and the Hyundai i10 iRDE. 

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Where do we start and should we ever have resorted to such an exercise? The answers are of course at the beginning and for sure we needed to do it and even earlier. However with the car finally being launched now, the apparent simplicity of the design combined by the sheer innovative approach to liberating class leading cabin space for four in a car with such small dimensions means that not only do we have main stream best sellers in a spot of bother, with regard to immediate commercial concerns, but for their respective OEM's future, they will now have to reckon with the Nano effect becoming the benchmark for all small cars in the world.

Strong lofty statement this last one but not altogether jingoistic I should say because here is something dreamed up and delivered in lean design and engineering terms which has confounded everyone, from Suzuki and Toyota to VW and Renault. Everyone who is anyone in the industry said it couldn't be done and here it is. Of course the guiding principle was never to rub rivals noses in the ground but in the course of opening a new and very worthwhile front for mass mobility if so called rivals didn't understand, the were going to get dusted for sure. It is early days yet and from what we have seen, felt, touched, driven and experienced, here is a breath of fresh motoring air which doesn't cost the earth and is pretty rounded too in its appeal and delivery.

View :Tata Nano Special Coverage

View :Tata Nano Comparo
 
 

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User's Comments
  • siddharth (30 August 2010 16:10)
    It Iis one of my favourite hatchbacks but one major problem in it is its space it looks very cute and chubby iy will beneift the people of India as it a very a pocket friendly car an it suits every one's budget an it is good for a family of 1-3 but to say fairly nano it is small car | Reply
  • KUMAR (05 October 2009 21:37)
    HELLO!! Ladies and Gentlemen i live in china though china is well developed economically and technologically than INDIA. i would feel proud to say that TATA Nano has created a revolution in automobile industry .If i've got to compare TATA with other local chinese car manufacturers TATA has got its own quality emblem and i can assure u that NANO is not as bad as CHERRY QQ ...which is pardon me which WAS the worlds cheapest car untill launch of TATA NANO according to price.... | Reply
 Harish Advani (07 June 2010 14:38) Reply to KUMAR
The QQ is nothing but a poor copy of the Daewoo(now Chevrolet) Matiz.When you say cheap no one has been able to ascertain the market price of Chinese goods and exports accurately.They remain heavily subsidised to capture overseas markets and destroy competitors using unfair tactics.This also includes currency manipulation. | Reply
  • santosh (16 September 2009 00:48)
    Tata Nano is a winner because the most important thing is height of the car and how your seat is place (high or low) its important and i will buy this car in 2011 for 1 lakh or so that will be best bet until then i will just wait | Reply
  • Davis Wilson (20 August 2009 12:22)
    I agree with Banerjee. Don't we see the amount of rash and ruthless driving by cab/truck/tempo/blueline drivers here? These people believe they have become Michael Schumachers once they get hold of wheels. What West Bengal today is not what we are arguing upon. Residents of Calcutta were among the first in the country to have driven their own cars. I would not be surprised if Mr. Banerjee's great grandfather owned a car just like my great grandfather did! Besides, I do not understand why the jokers out here create a regional/linguistic divide when the topic of discussion is something else?The uncivilized, barbaric Haryanvis in Delhi/NCR carry billions in their pockets by selling off their farmland. They create so much of nuisance here by their rash driving. | Reply
  • AA Varda (12 July 2009 15:23)
    Ladies and Gentleman – This car is better then scooter (no need to carrying your whole family on two wheelers!!) | Reply
  • sam (14 May 2009 00:26)
    it is total wast car , it is not using sharaq khan also ...ha | Reply
  • sam (14 May 2009 00:25)
    i10 or Santro can run my only sharuq khan and by other person . it is totaly waste | Reply
  • KUMAR RAMIAH (07 April 2009 18:02)
    excellent innovation | Reply
  • ik (07 April 2009 13:05)
    Ya it's better than all other small cars, it's not a joke but a stark reality lets congratulate TATA group for this great achievement, hip hip hurray!!!! | Reply
  • Rajan Viswanathan (05 April 2009 12:48)
    It is a great moment for India and home grown/developed technology. Let us all salute Mr.Tata for his vision and doing it with so much going against him. People should not worry whether roads will be sufficient and if Nano will cause traffic jams. It happens even now. So the government has to do more than allowing cars/motor cycles being registered and collecting the road tax and other taxes. I hope all state governments and central govt will atleast anticipate the trouble looming ahead and plan for cleaning up of roads, improving pot holed roads and bring in some discipline. Mumbai Police is doing far better than other states and cities in this aspect although they could have done better. | Reply
  • bala (04 April 2009 16:07)
    Good Evenin all, esp Tiff,Deepu,AmguruHats off to Tata for Tata Nano,TNFacts1. SAFETY-TN pass'd front | Reply
  • R D (03 April 2009 18:48)
    Mr S Banerjee, How many of your ancestors owned a vehicle before you? If you have paid too much for your sedan and want to prevent it from scratches, then its better off in your driveway and not on roads. And why should Tata build roads? What are the state governments there for? Giving a reason that Nano is going to cause congestion on the roads is absurd. In that case you need to ban all cars and 2 wheelers from the roads and make it a law to only use public transport. Try using one in Blore instead of driving around in your sedan. This will surely help in reducing congestion. | Reply
  • Neeraj (02 April 2009 19:48)
    Response to S Banerjee. .. Your remarks are very selfish. I am in Bangalore too, and i own a sedan too. But that does not allow you or me to decide. A sedan on a road takes 2 times a space compared to what Nano will. Your other comment regarding kind of people driving the 4 wheeler is also sounds mean. By the way your second name suggests you are from West Bengal..Needless to say why you are jealous the car is out there. You may want to take your sedan back to Kolkatta and Drive there in peace. anyways there are hardly any one in that city that can afford cars :) | Reply
  • Eric Mascarenhas (01 April 2009 13:14)
    TATA NANO IS A" WONDER SMALL CAR" IT IS BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED SMALL CAR AND HAS GIVEN TATA MOTORS IMAGE A MAJOR BOOST WORLD OVER, SINCE THE PRODUCTION OF T-FORD OR SAY VOLKSWAGON AS PEOPLE CHEAPCAR,TATA NANO WOULD DO THE SAME BOTH FOR INDIA AND TATA MOTORS.WELL WE CANNOT COMPARE MUCH WITH ANY OTHER CAR BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IS THE SALE VOLUME WHICH IS GOING TO BOOST TATA MOTORS BUSINESS COUNT. | Reply
  • BREJESH RANAUT (31 March 2009 22:05)
    TATA Nano is a wonderfull car,which I have confidence to gave full satisfaction to all his owners. It is the time of revolution | Reply
  • Tera byte (30 March 2009 17:09)
    how you will not commit the records in jdbc? | Reply
  • zaki abbas (30 March 2009 16:10)
    Thanks to Mr.Tata who is giving a thought for middle class segment and keeping a affordable price, lets wait and see the performance and sustanance of the vehicle. | Reply
  • S Banerjee (30 March 2009 14:50)
    Nano is a major achievement for the Tatas in terms of engineering prowess. It puts India on the automobile map of the world. The pricing is actually incredible. BUT...I just wonder what will it do to the traffic condition on our city roads. Does Mr. Tata plan to build roads aswell? I stay in Bangalore and driving around in my sedan is a real pain. The auto ricks cause sufficient irritation and sometimes even damage with some generous scratches on the sides. I presume, 6 months down the line, I have to buy a motor bike so that I reach office in time to save my car from further damage considering the fact that I shelled out a good sum to buy it. One more thing I am worried about is the kind of people who will get access to a 4 wheeler. You dont want a guy, none of his whole ancestory has owned a car before, to get a cheap buy and behave as if he has become the KING of the road. In any case, the driving manners are horrible here. Lets wait and watch...its scary and exiting at the same time. | Reply
 Suresh (14 April 2010 14:20) Reply to S Banerjee
To S Banerjee - What nonsense argument. Just because a person's ancestors have not driven a car doesnt mean he/she shouldnt drive one. With this kind of attitude you are better off parking your "Sedan" in your garage | Reply
  • vasanth balasundaram (30 March 2009 11:06)
    a royal salute to mr.ratan tata...who is going to fulfill the wishes of the middle class peoples car dreams.... | Reply
  • Sushil (29 March 2009 23:22)
    Another point for the Nano here lowest running costs: http://cars.zimbly.com/2009/03/running-costs-nano-vs-competition/ | Reply
  • alok (29 March 2009 18:45)
    intersting comments. lets wait n watch | Reply
  • Benedict Xavier (29 March 2009 12:42)
    Congratulations to the Tata GroupThey have made India a Proud nation | Reply
  • Montykwt (28 March 2009 12:40)
    Mr. Ratan Tata designed the Nano keeping in mind the common Indian who travels on the scooter, having his child in the front and wife and another kid in the rear. I feel the car should be rationed for those people who are in real need by demanding some sort of criterion. This way both the manufacturers and the unscrupulous buyers would be kept in check. | Reply
  • Akshya (27 March 2009 18:19)
    null | Reply
  • Bugga Divino (27 March 2009 17:03)
    At the end of the day, a car is a car is a car - point A to point B, particularly if points A and B are not covered by public transport. The basic function of both a Mercedes as well as a Hyundai is to transport people from the same point A to point B - comparisons are ludicrous and based purely on the perceived prestige of one marque against another. By the same token, You would not compare TATA with Jaguar or Land Rover, but the utilitarian applications of these three cars are different. | Reply
  • Bugga Divino (27 March 2009 16:59)
    Power to the purchaser - the purchasing public decides whether the Nano is a good or an indifferent car. Prima facie, with the average speeds on Indian urban roads, crumple zones and airbags may be an overkill. Granted the TATAs are attempting to commoditize the car - let every citizen have access to one and this is honorable - this car is very environmentally friendly, and may pave the road for safer and better (and equally ecology minded) cars in the future. | Reply
  • Santro the real hero (27 March 2009 14:53)
    Comparing it with i10 or Santro is equivalent to comparing iron with gold or silver. Each one has its own qualities for the price they worth. | Reply
  • Na No to craps (27 March 2009 14:45)
    Its just an auto with an extra wheel and a hard roof. The so called car has no security features at all. Even a small crash could leave the passengers fatally injured with no front levy to absorb the shock. | Reply
  • Dexter (27 March 2009 14:42)
    @prashant : Please read my earlier comments before launching allegations like "you seem to be irritated by the idea of more people having a car!" I never told that I'm against the idea. I never told that Nano is a waste. My only point is the comparison made here with cars which does not fit in the catergory by any means. Quoted from your post "and it should not be compared to i10". That's all I said. I may even buy a Nano as my second car for city driving if it's long term reliability is good. And I've been working (technical) in the automotive industry for the past 7 years and believe me, there are dirty little secrets in this industry also. But for now, I cannot elaborate anything as I'm not supposed to do that. So, I hope that technically, I can comment on automobiles. | Reply
  • Pankaj (27 March 2009 14:13)
    Whatever people say. I am proud to be Indian. Indians can make anything possible. Congratulation to TATA Group. | Reply
 SD (14 June 2010 11:33) Reply to Pankaj
Correct Sir. It is value for Money. For those, who says where to carry baggage OR etc => bhai sahab bazar me banyan to sabhi size ki milty h, kya aap 44 se 24 sab pahnate h ji? 1.25 Lac me kya chahiye? jagah ki Jyada khuzli h to innova/fotuner Lo. Lagao 10-20 Lac? Correct me if am wrong. | Reply
  • prashant (26 March 2009 21:44)
    interesting comments...@dexter have you tried nano ( i assume no) but you have made your mind. you seem to be irritated by the idea of more people having a car..technically nano is better than maruti 800 and it should not be compared to i10.you said that you driven to your home town 675 km, my home town is only a 100 kms and i see no reason why nano wont do?it will be better if we let some more performance data come as the car is tried and tested in real conditions by real people. then only we should accept or discard nano. discarding nano only bcoz its cheap is not a good idea ... i believe that all of you understand the more important factor in a cars performance is hp/weight ratio rather than cc of the engine !to know how nano was made possible without compromising with performance see my bloghttp://www.lifeinitbhu.blogspot.com | Reply
  • Sanjay (26 March 2009 14:59)
    I am proud about TATA. They understand the common man's necessities. I would be more happy if this car succeeds. | Reply
  • Ritu (26 March 2009 10:55)
    "If somebody got he money to buy an i10, do you think that they will buy the Nano instead? I don't think so. "Dexter, I have got the money to buy i10 and am looking forward to book a nano! I am neither a great admirer of nano nor a big patriot. I am being plain practical. Yes, if I was in the US, I would not have bought a nano and would have probably gone for a civic, corolla, camry or even one of the hybrid varieties. | Reply
  • Rajesh Manohar (26 March 2009 02:37)
    Not a single Tata Nano is sold to public, so far. But used Maruti 800 | Reply
  • abc (25 March 2009 10:33)
    Halla Bol... | Reply
  • planetautomatic - NYC, USA (25 March 2009 05:14)
    1) Its the cheapest car in the world - Toast and talk of the town. 2) it helps poor indians travel 3) It is a car thta works and gets 100% value for money - for those that need it. 4) Be proud to be an indian and for India, Ratan Tata , His team. 5) Most of the negative stuff is intellectualizing without seeing the big picture of the car and its historical tribute to its people and the world. 6) Tatas have perevered to be leaders where dodge,ford and chrysler cant do the same for ITS people. | Reply
  • Ramakrishna N Reddy (25 March 2009 04:53)
    Tatas are not new in the automobile industry, know for quality & service. They have you given a Nano which is a unique small car, in it's category! Just buy the Nano but only after, a few hundred cars are on the road, driven under varying road conditions, & the debuging process for ultimate quality has reached the optimum.! | Reply
  • Dexter (24 March 2009 23:29)
    @Viraj Purang: Please see my first post. What you suggest is the fact that it's value for money. I never opposed that point. I'm quoting the headline again "How the Nano triumphs over bigger rivals". I disagree here. Do you think that the i10 for example is a rival for Nano? Then maybe we have to redefine the meaning of rival. If somebody got he money to buy an i10, do you think that they will buy the Nano instead? I don't think so. When buying a car, if people looked into only value for money criteria, many of the cars would not have survived at all. Maybe the comparison makes sense in case of M800 as it's the closest you can get. I've driven an i10 for 675km in a day while going to may native town and will I do that in a Nano? Hell no! Simple answer, it is not built for that purpose. | Reply
  • Ajaz (24 March 2009 22:05)
    Bravo! to TATA team for the great achievement in producing people's car, being an INDIAN I am proud of them and we all should have this proud, no other technically so called advanced countries in this world has done this great job - again congratulations to TATA team and to all INDIANS - start living maturely and start appreciating the good job done. | Reply
  • True Indian (24 March 2009 21:54)
    Nano is just launched and we will have to wait till july to actually see it on the roads. Nano can be compared with Maruti 800 and alto, but not with santro and i10. They are a different breed and class altogether. Nano has less than 700 cc engine and thats why the mileage is good. Tata has proved that he is an indian by copying few traits from every competitor and bettering it. For example he has increased the height of Nano and this idea is from santro. Tata's have already started marketing this car against maruti,hyundai and others by positioning these improved traits. What one must know is Nano is no competition against the refined engine of santro and the overall experience of i10. Tata's believe that out of these huge indian population, 35% are dumb and can be taken for a ride in Nano. To sum it up..He sure will succeed and it will keep his bank accounts multiplying as i personally believe we indians can easily be taken for a ride in Nano if one of our cricketers or bollywood heroes start promoting it. To end it just proves the Tata's theory of idiotising 35% indians who will ultimately opt for a Nano(Which is just pacakaged in a new shiny wrap with good for nothing features) | Reply
  • Me (24 March 2009 19:51)
    Nano for sure is going to help reduce the population of India. | Reply
  • Vipan (24 March 2009 16:42)
    I have worked for TATA's all I can say is that this group is the most dynamic industrial house, and as far Nano is concerned it is a product with lot to offer at the price. The people who are raising points about safety and other concerns should first have a look at what others(rivals) have to offer and what price. Everything comes at a price please do not expect the safety of a Merc in Nano, as even the Civics, City's and most the othe cars at app 8-10times more pricey have them | Reply
  • Jai Prakash singh (24 March 2009 14:54)
    It happens only in India. | Reply
  • ganesh ekbote (24 March 2009 13:24)
    NANO IS GREAT ......... but indian roads & india traffic laws are capiable to handel the situation .....NANO will go on great high but............? CAN WE THINK WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER ONE OR TWO YEAR | Reply
  • Nagsankar (24 March 2009 12:00)
    @all Why cant we praise ourselves????? This is an achievement that none of the world's most technologically advanced countries have ever managed to achieve. Why cant we be proud of being Indians, praise the country, praise the people behind the making of this marvell, praise Ratan Tata and his organization for making headlines all over the world??? I dont believe that we need to campare the NANO to any of the cars in the world...this is unique and no one could ever achieve this.....and please just praise ourselves and our country......... | Reply
  • dmg (24 March 2009 00:46)
    @dexter, this comparison was made just to show 'small is big' concept, just like honda's thinking 'man first machine second', and leg room of nano can rival i10 easily fyi at half the price of an i10 | Reply
  • dhinchak (24 March 2009 00:44)
    @abhinav, nano will certainly be more safer than 800 and alto, reason being those were designed in late 80s and early ninties while nano is a new product, don't forget the price difference between a nano and i10 or alto. you get what you pay for. as for trucks and buses, those are suppose to be mass movers and haulers which are suppose to be cheap to run and extremely affordable for succesful business, for better chasis, we have volvos and mercedes | Reply
  • Abhinav (24 March 2009 00:11)
    What about safety ? The engine is at rear, and I dont think this machine is made like Mitsubishi's i-car so that it can score good ranking in crash testing. Test the Alto, I10, Spark and 800 against a head on collision with Nano to see what actaully happens. Agreed the car is an achievement, but think like this " There are millions that travel by bus and most fo them are form tata. What are they ? Baiscallly truck chassis. why cant Tata come out with a cost effective real bus chassis if he were so concerned about the common man ? Lets bring out a better comparison with more details. | Reply
  • Ramandeep Singh (23 March 2009 22:57)
    A very valid comparison. On paper nano looks to be the ideal city car. cheaper to buy and cheaper to run than all the small cars available in the market. If it is faster to 80km/hr than the maruti 800, then that is an added advantage as in thick traffic even a Ferrari will be seen rubbing shoulders with nano on the streets of Delhi and Mumbai and even reaching its destination faster than the supercar! nano no doubt will certainly prove to be the best city car in the country. And the space and practicality it offers the time is not far when other manufacturers will be forced to come out with nanos of their own if they want to maintain their share of the market. Such is the potential the impact of the nano will have. | Reply
  • Dexter (23 March 2009 20:04)
    Is this a comparison or a silly joke? Tata Nano is better than i10 because of ground clearence? Come on, then the worst cars should be Porsche, Mercedes CLK etc etc... I agree that as a bare minimum transport, Nano is good and really good value for money. But making these kind of silly comparisons is meaningless. | Reply
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