If you have not heard or read of the Tata Nano by now, either you were in a hole somewhere or you were to busy pimping your ride. I’ll assume the latter. In the world of laptops, there was the Asus Eee Pc. In the world of “modern” transportation, there is the Tata Nano.
What’s happening here? All of a sudden, it seems everybody is rushing to “go back to basics!” Maybe there is something here. I mean, in the beginning, no now when you were beginning to drive, the real beginning, when motor vehicle started to emerge, the only purpose is to move stuff from point A to point B.
Forget comfort, safety, rain, shine, fuel consumption, mp3, in car entertainment, DOHC, VVT, ABS, EBD, ……. I’m getting tired already …… air-bags, traction control, sat nav …… you get the picture.
Then came comfort, safety, rain, shine, fuel consumption, mp3, in car entertainment, DOHC, VVT, ABS, EBD, air-bags, traction control, sat nav, IDrive, run flats, self parking, carputer etc etc.
With all these gizmos, why would anyone want to go anywhere? It’s like a kid in a toy store on Christmas day. So someday, someone, somewhere in a think tank somehow suggested “less is more” ala Lotus, and then comes the Tata Nano. Never has a car, so basic, gotten so much attention, in recent memory. Make that recent history. I’m sure it won’t be the last of the “back to basic” theme.
Down here, we have our new Proton Saga. But as basic as it is, you can compare it with a 2 cylinder 33 hp Tata Nano. The four-door Nano is a tad over 10 feet long and nearly 5 feet wide. Powered by a 623cc two-cylinder engine at the back, India’s people car is capable of 65 miles an hour. For $2,500, it might make it in the Guiness book as the cheapest production car. By the way, there is a luxury model!
Don’t laugh. The last laugh might be by Tata motors. Already Hyundai people are worried. Also the Nano meets safety standard (maybe in India anyway). It’s engine come complete with balancer shaft, electronic management, crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, but not the list above.
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