Another Nano reduced to ashes

Another Nano in flames. This time in Delhi, Aurobindo Marg.

Barely three months after Tata Motors certified the Nano “absolutely safe”, in a first in Delhi, a car went up in flames at a parking lot in Aurobindo Marg on Friday. The driver managed to get out on seeing sparks; in all of two minutes, only a charred frame remained.

The car, which belonged to a Supreme Court advocate, had just pulled into the parking lot around 11.30 am when driver Patrick John noticed sparks in the rear, where the engine is located. “I was waiting in the car, having just parked it, when sparks started coming out. Thankfully, I managed to leap out of the car in time. The car was destroyed in two minutes flat,” said John.
Two similar incidents were reported in Vadodara and Mumbai earlier this year following which Tata Motors launched an inquiry. In May, it said the accidents were due to unrelated reasons and that the car was safe.

Source : Timesofindia.com

 

Maruti’s answer to Nano

Now, it’s the turn of Maruti, who is seriously planning a car priced closer to Nano, and it could apparently be the Cervo, a compact five door mini that might put the other kids on the block in the shade.The Cervo looks like a smaller Chevrolet Beat with cues from Honda Jazz’s design.

The phenomenal fuel efficiency is one of the USPs of this car.

Powered by Suzuki’s 660cc engine – as against Nano’s 623cc – the Cervo could be priced between 1.5 to 2 lakhs, a little higher than Nano. But Cervo looks too stylish and futuristic to be priced under 2 lakhs. So it’s obvious that Maruti needs to delete some of the features available in the car, or use a cheaper material to make a potent contender to Nano.

Although not all can repeat the Nano story, Maruti has resources and expertise to come up with such a model at a cheap price without compromising on quality. Lets hope for the best.

Source : Yahoo news

 

Another nano catches fire in Gujarat

The going seems to be getting tough for the world’s cheapest car, as a Tata Nano caught fire today near Boriyavi village in Anand on the way to be delivered in Vadodara. This is in quick succession to the incident in Mumbai last month when another brand new Nano was reduced to ashes after its buyer just drove it out of the showroom.

A fleet of eleven Tata Nanos were being driven to be delivered in Vadodara when the incident took place in National Highway 8 earlier during the day.

A newly purchased Nano had reportedly caught fire last year in September while it was parked near Rajpath Club on Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway.

World’s cheapest car is not only a “cheap” but also dangerous to own.

Source : in.msn.com

 

Good bye to Maruti 800

It is hard to say good bye to Maruti 800. The car that changed the standard of the car manufacturing in India  in 1983 and set a new standard in the automobile industries. The car  will stop rolling out of showrooms in Metro cities from 01 Apr 2010. It is because the stringent emission laws  BS-IV,  that  the people’s  car is unable to comply with any more. Or in other words,  rather to say the manufacturing cost of a BS-IV compliant Maruti 800 won’t be economically viable to the customer. Maruti chairman said  “We were contemplating if we can upgrade the Maruti 800 to comply with new emission norms or not, and have taken a decision to stop selling the car in cities where new norms will be implemented from April 1,”

Once the bread-and-butter model for the company, witnessed a steady decline in sales in the major metros and Suzuki replaced it with the 800cc Alto. As Alto prices were pushed down by competition, the demand for the Maruti 800 was hit further. In this scenario, just I am thinking what will be fate of the Nano? Because Nano stands nowhere near Maruti 800. Maruti was a genuinely peoples’ car and it was tested and tried on the Indian Road conditions and it ruled the Indian roads for decades being India’s most popular car. Its beauty and quality with sturdiness won the hearts of the Indian people over the decades. Inspite of these, it  will soon be pushed into the  hall of fame.

Nano too has to be BSIV compliant for the major metros like other small vehicles, and to make it  a BSIV  compliant, definitely  the manufacturing cost will go up and price of the car will go up. With  increased price , will there be any taker for that most ugliest car or there will be any justification for buying a Nano then? I wonder, how a company like TATA, brought out such a car?

Indian people, they go for quality but at the same time they consider the look of the car too. Maruti just understood the pulses of the  Indian people and they constantly upgraded the exteriors of the Maruti 800 to enhance the beauty of the car (look at the pictures above). I will never invest for a odd looking car like Nano and also Maruti Ritz. Maruti too bringing odd designs nowadays like Ritz. As of now, ALTO is the most beautiful small car from the Maruti stable.  NAno and Maruti Ritz are the most ugly car on the Indian Roads today. Anything disproportion looks odd. This is applicable to everything from a painting of a beautiful woman to a designing of a car. Nano and Ritz  dimensions (Length Vs Height) are not proportionately designed. This is the primary mistake in design of these two controversial models. Had I been on the drawing board, considering the Indian taste, these models would never been allowed to see the light of the sun. Copying is good but  designer should have some taste  to  mould it beautifully according to Indian taste.  Of course there is no dearth of tasteless customers to buy these ugly cars designed by the tasteless designers. These two models deserve an  “Most ugliest car of the year” award.

Indira Gandhi, then PM of India, inspecting the Maruti 800 in 1983 (photo source : TOI)

Times of India dated 22 Apr 2010 published the following article about car design:

Ever wondered why swanky cars like BMW, Audi or Alfa Romeo are the most preferred models? Well, a new research has claimed it’s their unique shape, not the sophisticated technology, that makes them more attractive.

Human instincts draw us to either curvy models or those with sharp angles, and car makers cater to one or the other, depending on the era, the study has found.

Consumers’ car preferences come down to two basic human habits, said study researcher Claus-Christian Carbon of the University of Bamberg in Germany.

One, we are predisposed to shy away from sharp objects because they tend to hurt and angular features remind us, at least subconsciously, of fangs, claws, thorns and knives.

As a result, evolutionary psychologists say, we usually prefer curves – not only on women and in nature, but also in fashion and design, LiveScience reported.

 

Brand new Nano in flames

Nano, the India’s most ugliest and the world’s so called cheapest  car again in news. A brand new Nano caught fire within minutes of drive. The car was being driven by an employee of the dealer after delivery. Suddenly, there was smoke  coming from the car’s rear, where the Nano’s engine is housed. The driver slammed the brakes and the owner Mr. Sawant and those accompanying jumped out of the car, a wise move because within minutes the vehicle was engulfed in flames. As if it got immolated itself for unbearable insult due to its ugly look.

Now we thank Mamata Banerjee who made Tata to close the Nano factory near Kolkata and go elsewhere. We felt it that time. But after seeing Nano, the look and its quality, we now realise that we feel lucky for not being tagged with such a product. It is such a terrible ugly car. Now, with all these ‘reputation’ Tata wants to increase the price of Nano.

Tata wanted to give a car to scooterist  families so that in rainy season they don’t get drenched and reach safely to their destination. it was a noble idea no doubt but such quality of car  may not take them home safely instead they may be burnt on their way. Mr. Sawant and his wife were lucky enough to  save themselves by jumping out of the car in time.

Tata made the public crazy (though it is down now and it will be further down) by its cost of one lakh . But  public  should realise the consequences of cheaper items. Mr. Sawant purchased a LX model Nano which costed him 2+lakhs and it turned into ashes in minutes of driving. First of all people who are spending 2L why going for Nano ?  With this amount good second hand vehicles are available in the market which will be far far better than the Nano. There is no sense of going for a Nano. People should know that it is the most ugliest car ever manufactured in India.

Pic : msn.com

 

Nano is launched

At last much awaited “Nano” is launched today and created history in the automobile engineering. Unfortunately Singur could not be the part of the history just due to Mamata Banerjee, the most immature, destructive and anti-industry, anti-development leader of this century. Of course the name of Singur and Mamata has already made their space in the history for negative reasons, which nobody wanted.

Much have been talked/written in the media about the destructive, anti-people activities of Mamata Banerjee, so whatever I try to talk will be less. The elections are round the corner. We find surprisingly how these leaders are changing their colors and trying to be friendly with the people. She can do/ talk whatever she likes, but people of West Bengal will never forgive her for her betrayal to the youth of West Bengal, particularly Singur and neighborhood by driving out the Tata Nano from Singur. People will not forget what she and her men did for closer of the Nano factory when the car was rabout to roll out in October 2008 itself.

 

Competitor of Nano ?

Nano seems to have a competitor before it is lauched. It is the low priced Oreva E of a Gujarat based company, small electric car of Nano’s price. Ajanta Manufacturing Ltd, which makes electric bikes, said its Oreva e-car was specially designed to compete with the Nano. The company plans to launch its product around the same time as Nanos would roll out of the factory.

Lets wait and see who would be whose competitor ?