If there are some cars that don’t need any introduction to any consumer in the Indian car market, then it must be the Tata Nano. It was extensively promoted as a wonder car that came into the market with an initial price tag of only INR one lakh, despite being perfectly fitted with all Tata Spare parts as any other normal car.
The sedan caused a stir when it was unveiled in 2008. However, despite everything seemingly going well for this Tata experiment, the new car’s journey over the last 7 years, as well as that of its producer, has not been very smooth all the way.
Tata Company had unveiled the idea of a no-frills car back in 2006.the car was to be manufactured in Singur, West Bengal. However, the area’s farmers protested and forced the company to change its location to Gujarat. Though the controversy was a drawback to the production process; it did not dampen the resolve of the Indian people and the world-class car manufacturer.
The manufacturer did away with all the unnecessary parts from the car in order to make it cost-effective. Using cheap Indian labor and less steel, the wonder car was crafted. The vehicle’s price could later increase due to the rise in the cost of raw materials.
The Indian middle-class had very high expectations after the company’s announcement of their idea of a cheap car which would go for the same price as a two-wheeler. The vehicle immediately caught the media’s attention and stayed under its watch. That is why the first production of the car sold like hot cakes.
The market financial pundits predicted that the car would trigger a 65% rise of sales in the Indian vehicle market. It was also projected that the used car market in the country would take the blunt and sales in the Tata spare parts would feel the effect too. At first, there was a sharp drop in the used car prices as well as the sales of the car’s closest competitor – the Maruti 800 – also took a serious blow.
However, the Tata Nano fell short of the consumers’ expectations and it was bedeviled with lots of shortcomings. The car could not perform well in the wet muddy Indian roads. The small sized tyres would sink and get stuck in the mud, especially in the event of heavy downpours.
The car owners faced hurdles with the Nano’s condenser, turbo alternator belt, headlight switch, gear shifting, accelerator cables, and many other parts of the car. There were isolated cases of the car catching fire on the road. The problems were definitely a major drawback for the car manufacturing giant. Though, later Tata Motors cleaned their mess and ensured that they corrected the hitches.
Not long ago, the giant vehicle manufacturer launched the latest version of the Tata Nano, (2015 GenX edition). The new baby comes with an AMT and can guarantee the user a mileage of 21.9 km per liter of fuel. Other notable alterations include, new trendy bumpers, a hatch that opens from the outside, a remarkable instrument console, smoke head lamps, a fashionable steering wheel plus a number of Tata spare parts, and many other new perks. This could be what everyone has been waiting for.