Ladies and Gentlemen, the booking of the People's car finally ceases. The time ends when you had to watch numerous ads in each site - "BOOK YOUR TATA NANO".
Now, will I get my Nano?
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Tata Motors will anounce the names of people who have got their much wanted and awaited car very soon.
It could be you, perhaps.
SO, goodluck.
Terms and Conditions
The Tata Nano Car will be produced in Nano, Nano CX and Nano LX variants. In order to plan production of Tata Nano Cars and to effect its delivery to the customer during the year, the bookings are being invited from the customers. The total bookings will be accepted for a production not exceeding 100,000 Tata Nano Car.
The bookings will open from 9th April 2009 and shall remain open upto 25th April 2009. The Applicant would be able to make an Application for the Tata Nano Car only through a valid Application Form submitted during this period.
Application
1. Acceptance of bookings/advance payment by Tata Motors Limited ("Tata Motors") is merely an indication of an intention to sell and does not result in a contract of sale. The Applicant agrees that Tata Motors shall not be deemed to have accepted the Application of the Applicant or be bound by the Application until Tata Motors notifies the Applicant of its acceptance of the Application subject to the terms and conditions, contained herein.
2. The Application Form should be filled only in English using BLOCK LETTERS. It may be filled in by hand using ball-point pen.
3. The Application Forms are available at select State Bank of India ("SBI") branches(details available on www.tatanano.com), Westside Stores, Croma Stores and Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealerships. These are authorised by Tata Motors. The Application Forms are also available at designated branches of preferred financiers.
4. A Person will be able to apply for only a single Tata Nano Car and Tata Motors would allot only one Tata Nano Car per Person to be selected in accordance with the procedure set out in 3 (a). ?Person? means and includes any Individual / Firm / Proprietorship/ Company etc. Tata Nano Car can be ordered by Individuals / Firms / Proprietorships / Companies etc. The Application Form is non-transferable and only the Applicant would be eligible to the Allotment if successful. Tata Motors reserves the right to discard all duplicate applications.
5. The Application Form, complete in all respects and accompanied by the necessary Demand Draft / Pay order/ Local Cheque, has to be submitted to any one of the locations mentioned in 1(c) on or before the last date of the booking i.e. 25th April, 2009. Incomplete or incorrect Application Forms will be rejected. Photocopy or duplicate Application Forms in any form will not be accepted. An incomplete Application Form will not, in the first instance, be accepted by the locations mentioned in 1(c). In any event, if any incomplete Application Form is accepted through inadvertence or oversight, Tata Motors reserves the right to reject the same at the later stages of Application process. In case of payments made by cheque / pay order / DD the validity of Application will be subject to realization of the instrument.
6. Tata Motors will not accept any Application Form directly from the Applicants. Any Application Forms sent to Tata Motors directly and received by it will not be considered and shall be liable to be rejected.
7. Upon submission of Application Forms to the locations mentioned in 1(c), the Applicant must retain the Applicant?s copy of the Application Form duly signed and stamped by the notified SBI Officer at all authorised outlets as a proof of having submitted the said Application Form.
8. The Applicants should indicate the Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealership nearest to his/her address, from where the Customer would like to take delivery of the Tata Nano Car, in the event of Allotment of a Tata Nano Car to him subject to the terms and conditions set out herein.
9. The Applicant should provide the Income Tax PAN number in the Application Form in the absence of which the Application Form is liable to be rejected. In case the Applicant does not have an Income Tax PAN number he should fill Form 60 or Form 61 and submit it along with the Application Form.
10. The Applicant is not entitled to transfer the Application or subsequent successful Allotment to any other person. Any changes in the particulars relating to the Applicant?s address, preferred Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealership for delivery of Tata Nano Car, etc. will not be accepted by Tata Motors.
11. The Applicant must quote the Unique Identification Number mentioned in the Application Form for the purposes of all future communications, concerning the Application and / or Allotment of Tata Nano Car.
12. The Applicant must fill in the details of a photo ID proof (Pan Card/Voter ID Card/Driving License/ Passport) and attach a photocopy of such photo ID proof with the Application Form, the original of which will be required to be produced at the time of taking delivery of Tata Nano Car. In case customer does not have any of the above-mentioned proofs, he should submit copy of any other valid photo identity proof duly attested by a gazetted officer and mention the details of the same on the form. In case of online payment, the details are to be filled at the relevant section and will have to be produced at the time of delivery. If the Applicant fails to comply with these conditions, Tata Motors reserves the right to deny the delivery of the Tata Nano Car.
13. Any information of the Applicant may be shared with the government if Tata Motors is called upon by any authority to do so or as may be prescribed under applicable law.
Payment of Booking Amount
1. The booking amount applicable for the Tata Nano Car variants will be as mentioned below for all cities and all colours. Such Payment by way of Demand Draft / Pay order / Cheque (all payable locally and subject to realization in case of cheque) should be made to the notified locations in 1(c) drawn in favor of "Tata Motors Limited.-A/c Tata Nano". The city must be written on the reverse of Demand Draft/ Pay Order/ Cheque, along with the Application Form number and Applicant?s name. The booking amount has been rounded off after factoring all variables and excludes Central Excise Duty, CST / VAT, other Central/ State local taxes and levies and transportation charges . The Booking amounts for Nano /Nano CX / Nano LX are as follows: INR 95,000 / INR 120,000 / INR 140,000.
2. Tata Motors retains the right to change the Bharat stage 2 / 3 preference of Applicant based on any regulations / local directives based on the city selected. Color and variant choice is an indicative preference. Tata Motors will try to match the Applicant preference on best effort basis. Delivery of the variant color preference given by the customer may be affected by production constraints. In case Tata Motors is not able to match the preference (including color or variant choice), Tata Motors will alternatively offer to the applicant other available variant. Differential amount applicable thereof will be adjusted at the time of the delivery.
3. The booking amount will be accepted only by way of a single Demand Draft/ Pay Order/ Local Cheque and not through multiple instruments.
4. Please ensure that the booking amount is correct and corresponds to the variant selected. In case of any variance, the Application Form is liable to be rejected.
5. Ex-Showroom price of the Tata Nano Car will vary depending upon the variant and color choice and the city where the delivery is to be made. The ex-showroom prices applicable to your city on date of booking will be available at the Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealerships and www.tatanano.com.
6. The prices of Tata Nano Cars to be delivered to the 100,000 successful Applicants (called "Allottees"), who will be selected by way of the allotment process as set out in 3 (a), will remain same as declared on its date of commercial launch till the completion of the deliveries to the Allottee. No interest will be paid to the Allottees till the date of delivery of the Tata Nano Car or cancellation of the Allotment, sought by the Allottee whichever is earlier. However, any increase in price of the Tata Nano Car caused solely and directly on account of regulatory or other legal requirements shall be chargeable to the Allottee and Tata Motors reserves the right to increase the price of Tata Nano Car to such extent so as to include the actual excess costs incurred on account of such legal or regulatory requirement .
7. Central Excise Duty, Cesses, CST / VAT, other Central/ State local taxes and levies and transportation charges payable will be as applicable on the date of delivery.
8. Tata Motors shall have the right to revise the specification, standard fitment and or accessories for the Tata Nano Car or introduce its improved versions of the variants, allotted to the Allottees, which will be binding on the Allottees.
Process for Selection of Successful Applicants for Allotment
1. All valid Applications will be considered for the selection of the Allottees through the process using the computerized pseudo random number generation technique ("Allotment Process"). Tata Motors will select 100,000 Allottees through this process for the delivery of Tata Nano Car in the first phase ("Allotment"). This process would be executed by Tata Motors along with independent observers. All Allottees would be informed of a three month (approximate) delivery period. Tata Motors will not be responsible if delivery of the Tata Nano Car is delayed beyond the indicative delivery period due to any reason beyond its control. In such case, Tata Motors will intimate the revised delivery period to the Allotees. [As stated in 2 (f) above], Tata Motors will not be liable to pay interest or any other compensation to the Allottees in such cases.
2. The Allottees, selected through the Allotment Process, shall be notified on Tata Nano website and by way of letters on the address, mentioned in the Application Form. The Allotees can also contact Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealership indicated for the purpose of taking delivery. Tata Motors would not be responsible for delay/ non-receipt of communication by Allottees due to incorrect address, given in the Application Form or otherwise.
3. Tata Motors reserves the right to sell up to 10% of its production of TATA Nano Car at its own discretion and not by way of the application process set out herein.
Option for Retention of Booking
1. The unsuccessful Applicants will have the option of intimating to Tata Motors about their willingness to retain their booking for delivery of Tata Nano Car after the completion of deliveries to the Allottees by filling in the appropriate box in the Application Form. Tata Motors will prepare a list of Applicants falling under this category using the result of the Allotment Process, used to select the successful Applicants and intimate them the priority number for the delivery of the car which shall be generated through the process using the computerized pseudo random number generation technique. Such Applicants would be informed of a six-month period in which the actual delivery shall take place.Tata Motors will pay an interest at 8.5% per annum in case period of retention is greater than one year but less than 2 years and 8.75% per annum, in case period of retention is greater than 2 years, on such retained amount from the date of allocations.
2. The unsuccessful Applicants who declare to retain their booking amount and whose booking amounts are retained by Tata Motors will be termed as "Retainees". These Retainees will be given Allotment of Tata Nano Car prior to the next booking and allotment cycle and, as stated above, will be informed of the approximate delivery period of Tata Nano Car by Tata Motors after keeping in view the anticipated production for subsequent years. Tata Motors reserves the right to decide the number of Retainees.
3. The applicable price for the Tata Nano Car for the Retainees will be notified along with the notification letter of the actual date of delivery by Tata Motors. This applicable price may vary from the price announced on the date of launch.
Refund to Unsuccessful Applicants
1. Tata Motors will refund the booking amount to all unsuccessful Applicants, {i.e. excluding those selected as per clause 3 (a) and those opting for retention as per clause 4(a)}, without interest, not later than three months after the date of closing for the booking of Tata Nano Car.
2. The refund will be made only to the Bank Account Number mentioned in the Application Form. Tata Motors will not be responsible for any delay resulting due to incorrect Bank Account Number furnished by the Applicant
3. Applicant is advised to enclose one cancelled cheque of the Account in which he/she wants refund money to be credited, in case refund is given through electronic credit, at the option of the bank, for faster refund.
4. The Bank Account Number and all other confidential information provided by the Applicant will be used by Tata Motors and/or its Service Provider solely for the purposes of the Application Process and refund if applicable and shall remain confidential with Tata Motors and or its Service Provider at all times unless necessary for the application process.
Deliveries
1. Delivery of the Tata Nano Car will be made by the Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealership set out in the Application Form by the Allottee/Retainee. Tata Motors may at its option change the Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealership for the purposes of the delivery of the Tata Nano Car.
2. The said Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealership will advise the approximate delivery date to the Allottee/Retainee as soon as the communication is received from Tata Motors. The Allottee/Retainee will be required to make the balance payment towards the price within 10 days before the scheduled date of delivery as communicated by the said Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealership.
3. Subject to the availability of the Tata Nano Car, the sales and deliveries of the same will be made to the Allottees/Retainees in accordance with the procedure prescribed by Tata Motors herein.
4. The Allottee/Retainee will have to produce the original of the proof of identity, mentioned in the Application Form for verification and submit the original Allotment Letter in terms of clause 3 (b) and Allottee/Retainee?s copy of the Application Form duly signed and stamped by the SBI Officer, while taking delivery of the Tata Nano Car, failing which Tata Motors reserves the right to cancel delivery, treating the booking as invalid and cancelled. In case of loss of Allottee/Retainee's copy, the booking will stand cancelled and refund will be processed as per the terms set out herein.
5. Upon sale of the Tata Nano Car to the Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealership (for the purpose of onward sale and delivery to the Allottee/Retainee), the Allottee/Retainee authorizes Tata Motors to retain the advance amount standing to the Allottee/Retainee?s credit and such payment will be adjusted against the monies payable by the Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealership to Tata Motors for the sale of the Tata Nano Car to the Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealership.; and the Allottee/Retainee agrees to pay the balance of invoiced price of the Tata Nano Car to the Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealership before taking delivery of the Tata Nano Car.
6. Upon the aforesaid adjustment, the Allottee/Retainee shall not have any claim whatsoever against Tata Motors towards the aforesaid sum (save and except in such situations where the advance amount referred to in (e) above is greater than the price of the Tata Nano Car).
7. In the event of any unforeseen circumstance, delivery period may be subject to change. This will be informed to the Allottees/Retainees directly by Tata Motors. No interest will be paid by Tata Motors in respect of deliveries which are delayed beyond the period specified by Tata Motors.
Cancellation
1. An accepted booking can be cancelled any time by the Allottee after receiving intimation from Tata Motors in terms of clause 3(b) above. Such Allottee has to register a cancellation request at the call centre and also submit a written notice of cancellation (mentioning the cancellation code given by call centre) at the Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealership selected in the Application Form for taking delivery of the Tata Nano Car. The written notice should be accompanied with original Allotment Letter in terms of clause 3 (b) and original Allottee?s copy of the Application Form duly signed and stamped by the SBI Officer. On Cancellation, the payment made by the Allottee will be refunded by Tata Motors, within 30 days of the request for cancellation, after deduction of cancellation charges of INR 2999/- only to the Bank Account Number mentioned in the Application Form.
2. In case of cancellation by Retainees, in terms of clause 4 (a) above, the process of cancellation remains as mentioned in clause 7(a). The retained amount will be refunded only to the Bank Account Number mentioned in the Application Form. The accrued interest would be paid as a cheque in name of the Retainee and sent to the Retainee?s address mentioned in the Application Form.
3. The Allottees/Retainees will be charged cancellation charges of INR 2999/-. However no cancellation charges would be levied if the cancellation request is made within 30 days from the date of announcement of Allotment.
4. A booking once cancelled cannot be reinstated.
5. In case of request of cancellation by an Allottee/Retainee where the delivery of the Tata Nano Car has been delayed beyond the quarter in which the Tata Nano Car was scheduled to be delivered as per clause 3(a) above, the Allottee/Retainee will also be entitled to an interest at the rate of 6% per annum for a period starting from the date of Allotment to the date on which the request of cancellation is made. The payment made by the Applicant will be refunded by Tata Motors, within 30 days of the request for cancellation along with the accrued interest up to the cancellation date. Cancellation charges will not apply in cases of cancellation pursuant to this clause (e).
6. In case of the Allottees/Retainees, who have obtained finance from the preferred financiers for depositing the booking amount, the written notice of cancellation of booking to Tata Motors must be routed through the financier concerned. Tata Motors will then route the refund through the concerned financier within 30 days of the request for cancellation.
7. No request for cancellation will be accepted till the 60th day from the date of closure of booking.
8. In case of cancellations by the Allottee in the first phase, the next Applicant in line with the same combination would be selected for delivery of Tata Nano Car in place of such cancelled Allotment.
Preferred Financiers
1. Tata Motors has designated certain preferred financiers mentioned as such on www.tatanano.com
2. The financier fields need to be carefully filled by the preferred financier starting from the first section.
3. The refund details of preferred financier would be filled in the relevant section. Also the full postal address of the preferred financier is to be filled.
4. The preferred financier reserves the first right in relation to the claim to the booking amount financed by it. Subject to the terms of the agreement between the preferred financier and the Applicant, the preferred financier is entitled to send a cancellation request to Tata Motors subject to the process outlined in section 7 in the event of any default by the Applicant.
5. Tata Motors will not be responsible for the terms and conditions between Applicant and preferred financier. Any error by the preferred financier will be attributable to it and Tata Motors shall bear no responsibility in relation to the same. Further Tata Motors is not responsible if in any circumstance the financier is unable to submit the Application Form at the designated centres within the booking period.
6. Tata Motors would make reasonable efforts to inform the preferred financier of all communications with the Applicant in case of unsuccessful allotment, allotment, retention, delivery or cancellations.
General
1. The amount paid by the Applicants for the Application Forms is non-refundable.
2. Tata Motors or SBI will not be responsible for delay, loss or non- receipt of Application Forms, Demand Drafts, Pay Orders or any Payment sent to Tata Motors or SBI through post, courier or any other form of submission not contemplated herein.
3. Booking from minors will not be accepted
4. Booking is open only for the Indian residents
5. Tata Motors or its Tata Motors Passenger Car Dealerships will not assume any liability for any inability or failure on their part in executing any order registered by any Applicant on account of any causes, constituting a force majeure or otherwise, beyond their control.
6. In event of demise of Allotee, the booking / Allotment / retention stands cancelled and will be refunded as per refund account mentioned.
7. Any dispute relating to enforcement, interpretation or application of these terms and conditions will be subject to Courts at Mumbai alone to the exclusion of all others.
8. Tata Motors reserves the right to alter any terms and conditions/ or the process itself clause at its sole discretion as and when considered necessary. Tata Motors will make reasonable efforts to keep Applicant informed as soon as possible.
Book Nano @ your Own city... Form More details Click Here
For More Information Click Below
Online Booking
Offline Booking
Filling of Application form
Submission of Application form
Payment
Preferred Financiers
Allotment of Car's
Retention
Refund of Amount
Deliveries of Nano
Booking Cancellation for Nano
Refund on Cancellation
Terms and Conditions
Tata Nano booking acceptance opens on 9th and continue till end of day April 25
Booking amount financing available from Rs.2850; Retail auto loan available at interest rates starting from 9%; Insurance premium starts at Rs.3468 (ex New Delhi)
The booking of the Tata Nano opens tomorrow on April 9th and will continue up to the end of day on April 25, 2009. Tata Motors has entered into agreements with 18 preferred banks/NBFCs to enable prospective customers to get finance and facilitate booking of the car.
The sale of application forms has already started from April 1, to a very encouraging response. The Tata Nano website has recorded over 50 million (5 crore) hits, including over 20 million (2 crore) hits in the fortnight since the launch on March 23, 2009. The forms are available at a price of Rs.300 (for online booking Rs.200). The forms can be bought at over 30,000 locations in about 1,000 cities through Tata Motors Passenger Car dealerships, State Bank of India and its branches, its subsidiaries and associates, other preferred financiers, and outlets of Westside, Croma, ‘World of Titan’ and Tata Indicom exclusive stores. The forms come with a range of offers from select associate Tata Group companies up to Rs.1100.
Customers can either pay the entire booking amount -- of Rs.95,000 (Tata Nano Std.), Rs.120,000 (Tata Nano CX), and Rs.140,000 (Tata Nano LX) -- themselves or seek financing of the booking amount.
Booking amount financing available from Rs.2850
The company’s partnership with the preferred financing partners has enabled attractive options of financing the booking amount, which start from a low of Rs.2850. The details are as follows:
Preferred banks/NBFCs
Bank Name Financing of booking amount of
Rs.95000 for the Tata Nano Std. version
State Bank of India....Rs. 2,999
Canara Bank............Rs. 2,850
Tata Motor Finance.....Rs. 3,199
Corporation Bank.......Rs. 2,999
Central Bank of India..Rs. 3,256
Indian bank............Rs. 3,343
State Bank of Tranvancore....Rs. 2,999
State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur........Rs. 2,999
State Bank of Indore.........Rs. 3,516
State Bank of Patiala...Rs. 2,999
State Bank of Hyderabad...Rs. 2,999
State Bank of Mysore...Rs. 2,999
ICICI Bank Ltd.........Rs. 2,999
Union Bank of India....Rs. 2,950
United Bank of India...Rs. 3,137
Punjab National Bank...Rs. 3,733
UCO Bank...............Rs. 2,975
The Federal Bank Ltd...Rs. 4,110
Corporation Bank.......Rs. 2,999
Customers can submit their application forms to their chosen financier. The financier will, on their behalf, submit their application forms to the State Bank of India, which is managing the booking process. Those who are themselves paying the entire booking amount can submit their application forms directly to State Bank of India through 1,350 notified branches in 850 cites, and also at Tata Motors Passenger Car dealerships, Westside and Croma outlets. Option to submit bookings online is available at www.tatanano.com.
Retail auto loan interest rates for the Tata Nano
Post the successful allotment of the bookings, customers can convert their booking loan into a retail auto loan for the Tata Nano at very attractive rates with the preferred financiers:
Retail auto loan interest rates
Preferred banks/NBFCs Interest rate post Allotment
State Bank of India.... 11.75%
Canara Bank.... 9.5-11%
Tata Motor Finance......12 – 13%
Corporation Bank.......11-11.5%
Central Bank of India...9.5-11%
Indian bank............11%
State Bank of Tranvancore....11.75-12%
State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur.......11.75%
State Bank of Indore...11.50%
State Bank of Patiala....11.50 – 12%
State Bank of Hyderabad.....11.75%
State Bank of Mysore......11.25-11.75%
ICICI Bank Ltd.......13.00%
Union Bank of India.....11-11.25%
United Bank of India.....9%
Punjab National Bank.....11%
UCO Bank...............11 – 11.50%
The Federal Bank Ltd....14.25%
Corporation Bank.......11-11.5%
Insurance premium for the Tata Nano
Tata Motors has also entered into agreements with five partner insurance companies to offer comprehensive insurance, under the ‘Tata Motors Insurance’ banner, for the Tata Nano at a rate of just 2.76% of the ex-showroom price of the car, the most competitive in the industry. In New Delhi, the insurance premiums will be as follows:
Nano Nano CX Nano LX
Ex-showroom price New Delhi (Rs.) 123360 148360 172360
Insurance premium (Rs.) 3468 3959 4431
The empanelled insurance companies are National Insurance Co Ltd, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co Ltd, Royal Sundaram Alliance General Insurance Co Ltd, United India Insurance Co Ltd and HDFC Ergo General Insurance.
Deliveries
Within 60 days of the closure of bookings on April 25th , 2009, Tata Motors will process and announce the allotment of 100,000 cars in the first phase of deliveries, through a computerised random selection procedure. These 100,000 allotments will be price protected for the launch prices till delivery of the cars but the booking amounts will not bear any interest for the customers. Deliveries will commence from July 2009.
Applicants have the option to retain their booking deposit, even if they do not get allotment in the first phase. Those who choose this option will be eligible for interest on their deposit, effective from the date of announcement of allotment of the second phase, at a rate of 8.5% for retention period between one year to two year and 8.75% for a retention period of more than 2 years. Allotment of retainees will be simultaneously communicated, along with the allotment of the first 100,000 cars.
KOLKATA: Kolkata-based Uco Bank said it is going to sign an agreement with Tata Motors in order to offer loans to people planning to book Nano.
Bank chairman S K Goel said here on Friday that the agreement would be signed next week.
Uco Bank has also announced a car financing pact with Maruti Suzuki India on Friday to boost its auto loan business. The bank is also talking to a host of other auto makers including Bajaj Auto and Mahindra & Mahindra for financing agreements, Mr Goel said.
The bank has also slashed its benchmark prime lending rate (BPLR) by 50 basis points to 12% effective from April 1. Elaborating on the proposed agreement with Tata Motors, Mr Goel said Uco would offer loans to customers fully or partly for making the initial deposit for booking Nano. The bank would charge a 10% interest rate per annum on the loan. Customers would need to deposit Rs 95,000 for booking the basic model of Nano.
The bank would also convert the initial booking loan to a regular car loan if the customer gets allotment of Nano and seeks financing support for a longer term. The interest rate for the car loan then would depend upon the prevailing interest rates, Mr Goel said.
At present, the bank offers car loans at 11.75% a year. The rate stands reduced to 11% per annum in case a borrower offers full collateral security against the loan. Uco's car loans are linked to its BPLR and so the rates will fall from April 1.
People planning to take loans from Uco or, for that matter, any other Tata Motors preferred financiers, for booking Nano would need to submit the application forms to State Bank of India (SBI) which is Tata Motors exclusive partner for managing the entire booking process.
Tata Motors has earlier said that it has already entered into agreements with some 15 banks and NBFCs for the Tata Nano booking loan product. Customers will need to collect application forms from Tata Motors Passenger Car dealerships, SBI and its branches, subsidiaries and associates, other preferred financiers, and outlets of Westside, Croma,
World of Titan and Tata Indicom exclusive stores.
Others Said No, He Says Nano: Ratan Tata Drives The One-Lakh Talk, Pulls Off A One In A Billion Coup
New Delhi: Outside, the eager crowd reminds you of a cricket stadium before an ODI game. Big securitymen form an uncompromising barricade with a thick rope. Finally, they see reason and relent.
Once inside, the conduct of the guards is easier to understand. There are already enough people inside to make a politician happy, if he was delivering an election speech. Standing out in the crowd is a bored leggy blonde in a shimmering silver dress leaning by a bright red car. At the moment, few, if any, are looking at her.
For what everybody has gathered to see at Hall No 11 in Pragati Maidan is not just another small car. They come to see hope emerge on wheels. For this ‘lakhtakia' car, as the man on the street has already named it, has enabled millions to dream of a life beyond the motorbike. And, to the discerning observer, has the potential of changing the demography of car ownership in India.
As Ratan Tata himself would say later in the day, it was the image of a lower-middle-class man on a scooter — the elder kid standing in front of the driver-father and the wife riding pillion with a baby on her lap — that kept playing on his mind. "Why can't this family own a car?" Tata's Rs 1 lakh car project was the outcome of that nagging image that kept tugging at his soul. Yet sceptics had wondered disbelievingly, even laughed, at his daring and passion. The Thursday launch was the moment of truth.
In the hall, plenty of firangs float around in dark suits lugging laptops. The seats are all taken. The stage is huge. The lights are low. And the floor has a blue-green tinge. You almost expect a Bollywood troupe to jump out and boogie to foot-stomping tracks.
None of that. First, a short, crisp recorded speech of Tata is played on a screen. He praises his colleagues, takes a crack at detractors such as the Suzuki boss who had predicted in 2006 that the car wasn't possible. Thundering applause comes when Tata says the car has ample safety features. And that it will be environment-friendly.
Then the curtain rises. As he drives on to the stage in a cream Nano, the audience gasps. First impression: small is beautiful. "Some people said that we should call it a ‘Buddha car', while others said that we should call it ‘Mamata' or ‘Despite Mamata'. We decided we will call it ‘Nano'," says Tata, drawing laughter from the crowd. "But then, since it is high-tech and small, we called it Nano." Then he adds: "The car will be priced at Rs 1 lakh. A promise is a promise."
Big wow for small car
New Delhi: After talking to those who turned up on the first day for a dekko, one feels that the car is like a multi-layered movie that means different things to different people. Young Mohit Saluja's businessman father has three cars, including a Honda Civic.
But he has already fallen for the cool and cute toy. "It could be an alternative bike for guys like me. These days college-going kids pester parents for a car. This is a car they can afford to gift to their kids," he says.
Neel Kamal takes a bus to her office in Supreme Court. "I never thought we could afford a second car. But this is affordable and it gives good mileage. So one can think about it," she says.
There are others—some with three, even four cars, who now want a Nano. Simply because they have the money to indulge. Faridabad car dealer Gulshan Kharbanda feels the car will fetch a decent premium of at least Rs 20,000 in its initial phase. Mohan Singh, a staffer at the Crafts Museum, is convinced the car is made for him. "I have a Pulsar bike which cost Rs 62,500. I'll sell it and buy this car because the family will be able to travel together in it. It's mileage is also good, so running costs wouldn't be high."
But for Manu Lal, a migrant from Bihar's Motihari district, the ‘lakhtakiya' car is still a bridge too far. "I am an electrician. I earn Rs 6,000 a month. I am barely able to send anything back home. A cycle is OK. But to spend Rs 1 lakh is like Mungeri Lal ke haseen sapne."
Nano: Dictionary meaning, one billionth of a unit
The Nano has prompted an avalanche of praise from visiting foreign correspondents. Some of them wondered at the economy car; others felt the launch was further affirmation of the India growth story.
An estimated 500 foreign journalists are reporting on the ongoing Auto Expo. One of them, Duncan Tift of Birmingham Post, said that in the UK it was difficult to get an equivalent point of reference. "To be able to come up with something like this at such a low price is staggering. There are more expensive bicycles in UK," said Tift, who admitted he was in town primarily to get the latest on Tata's Jaguar and Land Rover deal.Waiel SH Awwad of the newspaper Al Arabiya says that he was impressed by Ratan Tata for delivering the promised Rs 1 lakh car. "I think the car will be historic because it will bring down prices," he said. He added: "The Tatas have a good image in Syria and north Africa for their products such as steel, buses and two-wheelers. It is a known name in the Arab world." Evgeny Bezeka of the Russian news agency Novosti was impressed by the good-looking car. "You feel like getting inside it. That's its charm," he said.
Bezeka said that there's no equivalent to such a small car in Russia. "We have the Lada which would cost over Rs 2 lakh in Indian currency. It uses a 40-year-old technology," he said.
For Sophie, a French magazine journalist, Nano looks like "a three-wheeler on four wheels". "But I wouldn't like to make a judgment on the car itself. I'm here because there's great interest in India in the West."
Ratan Tata is a hero to a nation that sometimes feels starved of heroes. He knows it too. Mr Tata has used the emotional route before, when he announced his first passenger car years before it became a reality. It takes a certain courage to play with the expectations of a huge nation and then stick to the plot and deliver the goods. The Indica had a hungry audience when the car was finally launched. A car that was cheap to buy and run, it went on to become a huge success story and propelled Tata Motors to the third largest passenger car maker's position in the country. This time round, he has flirted with the emotions of an even bigger audience and, from the looks of it, the Tata Nano will be an even bigger success story. Certainly a billion hearts swelling with pride helps, but it is also important that the "one lakh car" looks and drives like a dream. We don,t know yet about the driving part, but what was unveiled at the Delhi Auto Expo on Thursday was a production-ready prototype that takes the accepted way of building a mass-produced automobile. It uses a steel monocoque with built-in crashworthiness, and conventional sheet metal body parts. Mr Tata could have gone the route of using an extruded aluminium structure to ensure even more safety but then it would have cost much more. A frugal petrol engine mounted at the rear of the car has helped the engineers liberate a great deal of room inside the cabin. And, most importantly, everything is wrapped up in a beautiful package — there has been no compromise on either aesthetics or safety. All this at an investment cost of Rs 1,700 crore — which includes the development cost of the car as well as that of the upcoming plant at Singur in West Bengal.
Mr Tata has warned that inflation and the rising price of materials will mean the price tag going up in the future — but that should not be a worry in a country where 7-8 million two-wheelers are sold. A fraction of them converting to four wheels would ensure the success of the Tata Nano. But the car will have competition, as there are other car makers, some of them from the big league, who are toying with the idea of similar low-priced cars. Carlos Ghosn of Renault has already made the plunge and has asserted that such a project can only be done in India. Suddenly the needs of a developing market, like India, are getting priority with leading car makers. This is not very different from post-World War II Europe, which lapped up cost-effective transportation. Automotive legends such as the VW Beetle, the Citroen 2CV and the Fiat 500 were born out of the socio-economic conditions that forced car makers to reinvent the wheel. The Tata Nano, which features a rear engine format like that of the Beetle, has all the ingredients to join that list of illustrious automotive designs. The fact that it meets the necessary crashworthiness and emission norms of the day enhances its appeal. It might have started as a widely misquoted dream of one man — but Ratan Tata has ensured that he has turned it into an opportunity to take his firm to new heights.
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