Respect!
The monsoon is here. Lots of families drive around on their two wheelers, daring the sun and rain. This was the typical scenario which inspired one of the great leaders of modern India to design and build an affordable car. Such statements invariably attract media attention and the price of the car was predicted (by those with no automotive knowledge whatsoever) that it would be one lakh rupees.
Although there was no price mentioned by anyone at any point of time, Mr. Tata took up the challenge of building a car a one lakh rupees. A proper working car, with doors, glass and all the basics you expect. At the '08 Auto Expo, it became a sensation and took the entire world by storm. Everyone wanted to know about the wonder car, named 'Nano'. I guess they even got the name right!
It looked like nothing the world had seen. After "experts" predicting the car to be an autorickshaw with doors, canvas roof, what not. All these were silenced at the unveiling. It's a proper car made from sheet metal, with extraordinary packaging and design. Some say the design has been copied from other cars. Well, you comenting lot, know this: Monovolume design looks like this. If you've never heard of it before, google it out sometime. The next hurdle the Nano had to come across came in the form of protests and politics from the government. It took almost two years to get things right to properly manufacture a car that put India on the automotive map. For years, we've been criticized of not coming up with products that suit the modern world. And here we had something that the world's largest and most experienced automakers could not even comprehend!
Now that we have a brief idea about the difficulty of the birth of an icon, let me tell you why I'm writing this. You see, the Nano is targeted at the masses, most of them who don't even have a clue of it's design genius and make irrational comments about it. Things like, "it'll fall apart after 6 months", "second hand cars are safer and cheaper", blah blah blah. For such ignorant lot, let me tell you, the Nano is a safe, modern car, designed after lots of testing, crash tests and measuring structural rigidity etc.,
I've always respected the Nano for this, the air of modernness it shows, be it in design, build at such a low cost. This respect grew even more when I drove it today. First things first. It's a proper car with four doors (made of sheet metal), glass, can accommodate four adults with ease and gets more attention on road than a Merc S-Class. (There's more space than many more expensive and so called "modern" cars)
Fire up the engine (which sounds like a four stroke scooter unit), depress the feeble looking clutch, slot it into first and off you go. The steering is light, makes driving in the city a breeze, there's loads of greenhouse which gives it a spacious feel and you sit high enough to get a good view of the road ahead. Basic instrument clusters give you required information. What more do you want? And ya, it drives like normal car, there is no cheap feel in terms of drivetrain and cycle components. It's not all rosy though. The door panels, switches etc., don't exude quality, but then again, this car is about basic transport, not luxury. The absence of an ORVM on the passenger side is bit hard to understand, especially since it's not even an option!
After getting some basic idea about the finance options available, I was so proud of what Tata had done here. In India, the car is considered a luxury good. But the Nano is really affordable, giving hope to many of the working class among us. Forget used cars, the satisfaction of getting home something brand new is totally different. I just hope that the production issues are sorted out and people go and buy this amazing piece of Indian ingenuity. I can go on and on about this for quite sometime. Next time you see a Nano, don't comment or criticize, just drive one and see for yourself.
Although there was no price mentioned by anyone at any point of time, Mr. Tata took up the challenge of building a car a one lakh rupees. A proper working car, with doors, glass and all the basics you expect. At the '08 Auto Expo, it became a sensation and took the entire world by storm. Everyone wanted to know about the wonder car, named 'Nano'. I guess they even got the name right!
It looked like nothing the world had seen. After "experts" predicting the car to be an autorickshaw with doors, canvas roof, what not. All these were silenced at the unveiling. It's a proper car made from sheet metal, with extraordinary packaging and design. Some say the design has been copied from other cars. Well, you comenting lot, know this: Monovolume design looks like this. If you've never heard of it before, google it out sometime. The next hurdle the Nano had to come across came in the form of protests and politics from the government. It took almost two years to get things right to properly manufacture a car that put India on the automotive map. For years, we've been criticized of not coming up with products that suit the modern world. And here we had something that the world's largest and most experienced automakers could not even comprehend!
Now that we have a brief idea about the difficulty of the birth of an icon, let me tell you why I'm writing this. You see, the Nano is targeted at the masses, most of them who don't even have a clue of it's design genius and make irrational comments about it. Things like, "it'll fall apart after 6 months", "second hand cars are safer and cheaper", blah blah blah. For such ignorant lot, let me tell you, the Nano is a safe, modern car, designed after lots of testing, crash tests and measuring structural rigidity etc.,
I've always respected the Nano for this, the air of modernness it shows, be it in design, build at such a low cost. This respect grew even more when I drove it today. First things first. It's a proper car with four doors (made of sheet metal), glass, can accommodate four adults with ease and gets more attention on road than a Merc S-Class. (There's more space than many more expensive and so called "modern" cars)
Fire up the engine (which sounds like a four stroke scooter unit), depress the feeble looking clutch, slot it into first and off you go. The steering is light, makes driving in the city a breeze, there's loads of greenhouse which gives it a spacious feel and you sit high enough to get a good view of the road ahead. Basic instrument clusters give you required information. What more do you want? And ya, it drives like normal car, there is no cheap feel in terms of drivetrain and cycle components. It's not all rosy though. The door panels, switches etc., don't exude quality, but then again, this car is about basic transport, not luxury. The absence of an ORVM on the passenger side is bit hard to understand, especially since it's not even an option!
After getting some basic idea about the finance options available, I was so proud of what Tata had done here. In India, the car is considered a luxury good. But the Nano is really affordable, giving hope to many of the working class among us. Forget used cars, the satisfaction of getting home something brand new is totally different. I just hope that the production issues are sorted out and people go and buy this amazing piece of Indian ingenuity. I can go on and on about this for quite sometime. Next time you see a Nano, don't comment or criticize, just drive one and see for yourself.
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