The Tatas should give Free 10 lakh Nanos

The Tatas should give 10 lakh Nanos, the Rs 1-lakh car unveiled by the group's chairman Ratan Tata in Delhi, for ‘free’, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee demanded on Saturday.

"Tatas were given land valued at Rs 1,000 crore free, as also Rs 135 crore in incentives such as power and water. Everything is free. After getting so many things free, the Tatas should give 10 lakh cars free," she said.

"Instead of talking tall in Delhi and showing a car made in Maharashtra, I would understand if he unveiled it at Singur," she said without naming Ratan Tata.

She reiterated her demand that the land of unwilling farmers at Singur, the site of the Tata Motors plant, which will manufacture the Nano, be returned.

There was also 'no question' of allowing the Tatas to begin production of their small car at Singur, she said.

Stating that she was neither a business competitor nor a consultant, Banerjee said, "our job is to take care of public interest. Anybody can do whatever they like, but without causing any inconvenience to the people."

Nano giving two-wheeler industry sleepless nights

Tata’s Rs 1-lakh car Nano will probably fulfill the dream of millions of two wheel owners aspiring to upgrade to a car. But will this be bad news for the two-wheeler manufacturing industry? Yes, Nano can spell mega trouble for the bike makers.

According to industry estimates only 10 per cent of the seven million strong two-wheeler buyers would prefer an entry-level mini car when it hits the road later 2008.

TVS Motors Senior VP H S Goindi says, “There is no threat, as cost involved in maintaining a two wheelers is very different than maintain a car, and I don’t there will be a lot of attrition.”

Rs 1-lakh Nano may have given a lot of low income group Indian a chance to own a car, but more than fixed price, it's the variable price of maintenance, fuel and upkeep, where the two wheel segment has an edge.

While Nano has a mileage of 20 kmpl, an average bike would give between 50 to 120 kmpl.

In addition, the Rs 600 that you spend every month for car maintenance can last you three months in case of a bike. Bike manufacturers believe the Nano may just compliment the two-wheeler already available with the family.

And even though, a car is much more convenient, safer and a comfortable option than a two wheeler, in a price conscious country like India, there will always be a place for a two wheeler.

A sturdy Fabia tough on pricing

Czech carmaker Skoda makes an attempt at the volumeladen compact car segment in India with the launch of the ‘Fabia’ that it hopes will help it get a foothold in the mass market. Though promising a fresh dimension and a somewhat different look to the premium compact segment, Fabia seems to be missing out some key areas that make its attempt a weak one and would leave much to be desired.

First, is pricing, the most critical element in India. While Skoda seems to be trusting the premiumness of its brand and the sturdiness of the vehicle, it seems to be on a difficult wicket right from the word go as. It has promised petrol variants soon, but it
only has the 1.4-litre diesel versions for the moment and cost more than possible contenders like Suzuki Swift and Hyundai Getz.
Though it comes with tubeless tyres, climate control, power steering, power windows and four-way adjustment for the steering, all this seems to be a little too less to pull droves towards the model.
With very little localisation, the car could be a difficult to maintain with spares expected to be expensive.
Apart from the base version ‘Fabia Classic’, the middle-level version ‘Ambiente’ comes with good features like ABS, alloys, fog lamps. The top-end version of the car, ‘Elegance’, promises a sun roof, apart from the ABS and airbags and the 6-CD changer.
Skoda also needs to do some homework to make good some of the features it offers on the car. Like the reverse parking sensors do not seem to working when we tested the car and somewhat failed to do their job — that is assist in parking safely. Again, despite the high pricing, the car does not impress much with the interiors. A touch of wood would have done
good to add the premiumness Skoda wanted to attach to the brand.
Also, Skoda seems to have forgotten to provide a good ground clearance to the car and just provides for a metal plate below the engine to protect the car from the bumps, that are so-very-common in India. The engine also sounds noisy though the car remains sturdy and smooth even at speeds of 165 kph, which we tried. The ABS comes in handy and there seems to be little trouble in screeching to a halt suddenly if the need arises with the ABS coming in handy.
At a high price and with a good sturdy vehicle, the company would have done good by providing features like cruise control.
FAB SPECS
Three diesel variants priced from Rs 7.04-Rs 8.5 lakh (exshowroom Delhi)
Powered by a 1.4 litre TDI diesel engine
Standard version comes with features like tubeless tyres, dual airbags, climate control
Petrol versions yet to be launched and expected to be Rs 50,000 cheaper than diesel -Times of India

Nano will drive Tata Motors to top position

According to a study by German research firm CSM World Wide, Tata Motors' Rs one lakh car 'Nano' will propel the company as the country's biggest light vehicle manufacturer by 2013.

Tata will sell about two lakh units more than Maruti Suzuki, which is the market leader in the low-cost, small car segment, by 2013.

Tata Motors would roll out nearly 1.2 million light vehicles (LVs) per annum in the next five years, of which Nano alone would contribute more than 50 per cent.

"Nano will help Tata in increasing its stake in the segment as it is expected to sell more than six lakh units per annum by 2013," CSM World Wide CEO & President Craig Cather told PTI.

"Ultra low-cost vehicles like Nano will also help in bringing new buyers to the market," he added.

In the next five years, Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai will be able to retain the top three position in the LV sales in the country at 12, 10 and four lakh units respectively, the study projected.

By 2013, India would also become the largest producer of light vehicles in the world with an additional capacity of 22 lakh units per annum.

India may sell around 45 lakh vehicles per annum in the segment in the next five years, contributing around 16.7 per cent to the total global sales, followed by China at 12.3 per cent, the study said.

Are you ready to buy the new Tata Nano?

The Chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata unvieled the much-awaited Rs 1 lakh car, Nano at the New Delhi auto expo.

Tata says that the car has passed all safety tests. The car is eight per cent smaller than the Maruti 800 outside, but 21 per cent arger on the inside.

So how much will the car actually cost you?

Tata plans to give the car to the dealers for Rs 1 lakh. You will have to pay a value added tax or vat of Rs 12,500, a road tax of Rs 4,000 and an insurance of about Rs 3,500.

And all of this total up to Rs 1,20,000 on the road price.

But if you take a car loan, how much will it cost you in EMI's?

If you get a loan of Rs one lakh for five years then you will have to pay about Rs 2,200 per month.