“A promise is a promise.”
Those are the exact words that came out of Ratan Tata’s mouth at the launch of a product which was touted to change the history of the Indian automobile industry. For the first time in the history of the motor car, someone was about to manufacture and sell a brand new car for the price of a gearbox. The idea of producing the Tata Nano came to Mr Tata one day while he was travelling and witnessed an entire Indian family on a motorcycle along with their refrigerator and the wardrobe. Well, not literally, but you get the point.
Although he was successfully able to keep his promise, little did he know that his noble intent of providing a comparatively safer and comfortable option of transportation to the general population will be met with a cold response from the masses of this country. People who still think that a car, over and above everything else that it should be, is more of a status symbol.
One cannot find faults in the mentality, as the motor car for a lot of people in India is still a luxury. The idea of being comfortable and safe in an enclosed space one can call his own reeks opulence for people for whom getting a bellyful, by definition, sets them apart from the ‘poor’. A firm grip on the rain gutter over a local train’s door and living on a prayer while the body hangs loose outside, inches away from the poles that threaten to kill is the order of the day. Any and everything that offers more safety and comfort is a luxury. So when the moment finally arrives when men and women who toil for 28 hours a day in this country are in a position to uplift their lives, call it social pressure or image consciousness, some reaction in the mind and body makes them buy things that are bought for every other reason except practicality, things which we think fit our image.
Tata launched the Nano, the base variant retailing for a 100,000 Indian Rupees. However, from that very moment, what could’ve been positioned as a smart city car that was chic, urban and cool, Tata made the mistake of calling it ‘Cheap’. Sticking to a price tag, building a car to a cost turned from what Tata Motors imagined to be an advantage to a bane. Since the very first day it was born, the Nano has had to walk through various infernos, almost literally, it’s baptism under fire. Not to forget the geopolitical scenario which led the manufacturer to shift its production facility from the East Coast to the West.
In our opinion, the Tata Nano is a smart product which lugged around the weight of being called ‘Cheap’. If Tata would’ve just launched the car and never bothered to harp on the pricing aspect, it would’ve taken people by surprise, being a pleasant one at that, and this large-hearted car with a little fin would’ve attracted the success that it deserves. The little Tata still ticks all the right boxes if you need a vehicle that will only be used within urban environs. If only they did something to change the image of the car.
As for making it desirable, the manufacturer could’ve concentrated on other traits of the car and leave the price alone. On a different note, the Nano could also very well replace the noisy and relatively unsafe auto rickshaws, in the process, making our roads appear slightly prettier too. We seriously think the Nano could’ve been a milestone product capable of transforming the Indian transportation scene. We believe it could’ve been a monument of what India can engineer and manufacture at the fraction of a cost elsewhere. It could’ve been the automotive equivalent of the Mangalyaan. What went wrong? What could’ve been done better? Why has the Nano become a recommendation your friends suggest when they know you are broke? Share your views, comments and inputs in the space below.
Tata Nano is an engineering marvel! No one in the world can imagine of producing something like the Nano! Staring from the procurement of the parts to the design of the car has been a tough task for the guys at TATA. With the hard work and dedication they were able to build a car that was suppose to have a mass appeal!
In my opinion what went wrong was the Marketing Blunder.. A perfect positioning would have been a boon for NANO.. However when it came to positioning they made the mistake of calling it a “poor” man’s car. It started becoming a second car in homes rather than being the first one.. It became an option rather than being a necessity. The need was rightfully identified by the TATAs however they were not able to capitalize on it.
What i would say is that the moment hasn’t yet passed over.. NANO is not dead.. What it needs a serious Re-Branding in order to pull itself out of the present situation.
In my opinion a classic case of such is the way Vespa had disappeared from the Indian Market, however it was able to re-enter the market in a new trendy and cool format ( in the language of Indian Youth ). Similarly, Nano will have to take a pseudo death in order to be Re-born and gain its rightful place.
– an ardent TATA follower
Well I own a Tata Nano for the past 3 and a half years and along with it I own Spark,Innova and recently baught a Honda City too, but I must say I am very impressed with Nano, Its very fuel efficient, it has very good seating space. Nano is very easy to drive in urban traffic and it is easy to park as well, in short it has all the important practical needs for daily use. The down side though is that this car has had techinal issues since its launch which has dented its reputation and achievements which according to me is a shame. Tata though are fine tuning and upgrading the nano which is really nice to see and I hope to see more upgrades in the future which will help this car achieve the goal it has set for itself. Tata seem to be going in the right direction with the updates made in the Nano Twist, So Good Luck to TATA NANO.
The Nano just needs to be 1 feet longer, 6 inches wider, and 6 inches shorter. Also, it should have bigger wheels, power steering, power windows, central locking, and better meter console placed at driver’s side. And yes, a minimum 3-cylinder 1000 cc engine.
A very genuine attempt to solve people’s problems is ruined by people themselves. Mr Ratan Tata has made several such honest attempts without worrying on profits. He is really a proud person for India. On flip side, failure of Nano showed us (1) Politics by Mamatadi proved muscular than business mind spiraling costs at production and a broken promise (2) Indians need very clever marketing even for a gem of a product (3) Mr Rahul Bajaj can lobby govt for unsafe 3 wheeler autorikshaw and only authorised taxi. Now he has lobbied underpowered and ugly looking Quadricycle. Nano is much more capable of making a modern Taxi and making people think, “No problem if it is used as taxi. I still will purchase it. It’s a nice car”. Mr Tata can’t lobby like that. (4) Tata never built a brand. They first should do it before attempting mass market attempts like nano. Seems they are on track with Zest & Bolt.
A Nano with slightly better build quality, power steering and auto gearbox would have definitely been a lot more successful.