By John LeBlanc, Postmedia News April 16, 2013
The Tata Nano is an entry-level car built in India and meant primarily for that market. But its $2,500 price captured the imagination of people worldwide.
"Where can I buy one?" is a question I am sure every automotive journalist must have heard repeated. The manufacturer has responded to the demand by confirming a version will be available for Europe in the near future. There has been no word if the car will ever be sold in North America.
But that's not to say we in the West won't be touched by this emerging manufacturer -- it purchased Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford in 2009.
Can a new car be too cheap? That’s what a report from Bloomberg asks, as India’s Tata Motors is looking at offering more expensive models of its Nano compact to raise flagging sales.
When the $2,500-plus Nano went on-sale in India in 2009, Tata anticipated annual sales in the hundreds of thousands, but has only sold just over 250,000 since. And last month, sales were off 86% from the year before.
The problem? Tata Managing Director Karl Slym says scooter drivers didn’t buy the Nano because peers “don’t think I’m buying a car, they think I’m buying something between a two- wheeler and a car.” Slym thinks the answer is to make the Nano more attractive, add features — and ultimately — raise its dollar store pricing.
Despite a price as low as $2,500 in its Indian home market, the Tata Nano hasn’t been the massive sales hit analysts and sooth-sayers predicted when it was announced in 2008. Yet four years later, the Indian automaker is saying it wants to offer a redesigned Nano for U.S and European buyers, According to a report from Inside Line, the Westernized Nano won’t be had for $2,500. Try four times that. Tata says a larger engine than the current car’s 37 horsepower 0.6-litre two-cylinder, “more bells and whistles,” and features like power steering and traction control will jack the price up to around $10,000 — still less than the cheapest new car you can buy in Canada today, Nissan’s $11,878 Versa Sedan.
© Copyright (c) Driving
Slym cited the 2011 Pixel concept (seen above) as an example of what he has in mind.
© Copyright (c) Driving
The Tata Nano is an entry-level car built in India and meant primarily for that market. But its $2,500 price captured the imagination of people worldwide.
"Where can I buy one?" is a question I am sure every automotive journalist must have heard repeated. The manufacturer has responded to the demand by confirming a version will be available for Europe in the near future. There has been no word if the car will ever be sold in North America.
But that's not to say we in the West won't be touched by this emerging manufacturer -- it purchased Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford in 2009.
Can a new car be too cheap? That’s what a report from Bloomberg asks, as India’s Tata Motors is looking at offering more expensive models of its Nano compact to raise flagging sales.
When the $2,500-plus Nano went on-sale in India in 2009, Tata anticipated annual sales in the hundreds of thousands, but has only sold just over 250,000 since. And last month, sales were off 86% from the year before.
The problem? Tata Managing Director Karl Slym says scooter drivers didn’t buy the Nano because peers “don’t think I’m buying a car, they think I’m buying something between a two- wheeler and a car.” Slym thinks the answer is to make the Nano more attractive, add features — and ultimately — raise its dollar store pricing.
Despite a price as low as $2,500 in its Indian home market, the Tata Nano hasn’t been the massive sales hit analysts and sooth-sayers predicted when it was announced in 2008. Yet four years later, the Indian automaker is saying it wants to offer a redesigned Nano for U.S and European buyers, According to a report from Inside Line, the Westernized Nano won’t be had for $2,500. Try four times that. Tata says a larger engine than the current car’s 37 horsepower 0.6-litre two-cylinder, “more bells and whistles,” and features like power steering and traction control will jack the price up to around $10,000 — still less than the cheapest new car you can buy in Canada today, Nissan’s $11,878 Versa Sedan.
© Copyright (c) Driving
Slym cited the 2011 Pixel concept (seen above) as an example of what he has in mind.
© Copyright (c) Driving
No comments:
Post a Comment