Tata Nano launches; bookings start in April, deliveries in July
Mar 23, 2009 Auto Tech, Green Technologies
Tata Nano
The Tata Nano has finally got a concrete on-sale date at yesterday’s glitzy launch party, sidestepping the myriad of hurdles plaguing the project since last year. With a base price tag of a magical Indian Rupees 100000 (1 lac), which translates to less than $2000 at current exchange rates, hundreds of thousands are expected to put their name down for a Nano, including many Indian middle class families previously limited to motorbikes or public transport.
The Nano comes with a 624cc 2 cylinder engine and while its claimed 25 kmpl (56 mpg) fuel efficiency may have otherwise put a smile on the face of environmentalists, the expected huge numbers to be sold may make a not so negligible contribution to India’s oil import bills and the congestion and air pollution in its cities.
One can book the car between April 9 and 25 and it is expected to be delivered in July. With demand set to far outstrip supply, the first 100,000 owners will be picked at random, till a new plant in Gujarat, India comes onstream next year. The Nano can be booked at more than 30,000 locations in 1,000 cities across India, including Tata’s department and electronics stores, with booking forms costing 300 rupees ($6). It can also be booked online (www.tatanano.com).
The Nano has and is going to have a profound environmental, social and economic impact.
India imports almost two thirds of its crude oil requirement. In April- January, 2008-09 were valued at $
Inviting!
83 billion which was 32.4 per cent higher than the oil imports of US$ 62 billion in the corresponding period last year. More cars will further inflate this figure. Still, the Indian government is hardly providing any incentive for people to switch to greener cars by subsidizing the price of petrol and diesel. On the contrary, the Honda Civic Hybrid had a 102% tax when in 2008, it was being imported, which caused its price to go up to almost twice the normal Civic and thus, ensured its failure in the Indian market. If the government uses carrots and sticks to encourage people to switch to smaller and more fuel efficient cars, the petite Nano could actually be a blessing in disguise.
Most of the environmentalists who are “having nightmares” at the prospect of a million Nanos would probably not dream of using public transport in India — the buses are uncomfortable and overcrowded, metro/sub-urban railways only present in select few cities, taxis and “autorickshaw” are sometimes unsafe, mostly driven by people who are rude and always ready to fleece you.The government is apathetic and infrastructure is poor, so traffic snarls are a daily reality.
The scenes of whole families traveling on two wheelers, balancing precariously and fighting off the
Will the Nano change this?
monsoons is cliched but sadly true. With its affordable price tag, the Nano may encourage many of these families to a car and thus, make their lives safer and much more comfortable. Even if all these families do not buy the Nano itself, they may be able to afford other used cars, whose prices may come down with the Nano’s onslaught.
Every true step forward brings a bundle of negatives which is, we hope, less less impactful than the bundle of positives. Perhaps the next iteration of the car will have an electric engine, which will reduce its environmental impact. We have to balance social justice with environmental concerns.
Instead of blaming the Nano for the cause of future ills of Indian traffic problem, the best option will be for the government to get its act together and improve the infrastructure and quality and reliabilty of public transport, so that more people are encouraged to use them, leaving their private vehicles for occasional use.
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