Comments on: At the stroke of noon….

By: Pffefer

Pffefer — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:47:49 +0000

Chris,

I think you were generalizing. I do find many Chinese desiring bigger, better things in general, just like the Americans; however when it comes to purchasing cars this is not so evident. Most of the best-selling cars in China today are not the bigger cars and SUV’s. Chery’s QQ is very popular, it is a small car. So is Volkswagen’s Golf. Of course you can make the argumeng that most Chinese can’t afford buying them, but I have heard some Chinese friends saying they prefer MINI COOPER to SUV’s.

By: Chris Devonshire-Ellis

Chris Devonshire-Ellis — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:08:14 +0000

Tata himself was stated in the IHT that the cars ability to meet emission standards were easier to meet than the crash test. Also, Tata are about to buy Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford. Modern Indian cars are actually pretty good and the Nano actually is a follow on from their highly successful Indicar which is all over the roads in Delhi and Mumbai. Indians like to go small, in stark comparison to the Chinese who would regard it as a loss of face and so want to buy gas guzzling Mercedes and SUV’s. Totally different mindset.

By: mm

mm — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:12:09 +0000

but is india ready for this kind of car?
Does india have enough roads? cannt imagine what traffice in india will be like after people start to buy nano

By: captainjohann

captainjohann — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 09:55:00 +0000

Already the BIG CATS of MNC car manufacturers have started saying somany things AGAINST THIS CAR. What i found atrocious is that it will give more pollution because more people will buy a car being affordable and motor cycle sales will drop!!!!!!!!
the more SUV manufactrerrs cry against this car, the more it will sell especially those in india who can afford a motorcycle/scooter.

By: Shourik

Shourik — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:04:50 +0000

Watch out for this one to hit other low cost markets – Sub-saharan Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and South-East Asia.

YueFei, you may like to consider the other big story – Tata’s takeover of UK’s Corus to become the 2nd (or is it 3rd?) largest steel producer in the world.

Further, I am not sure that the Rover/Jaguar deal has been inked yet …but everyone knows its just a matter of time.

From a competitive point of view, will it beat the QQ in these other markets? That is the question for me.

By: YueFei

YueFei — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:56:43 +0000

Unbelieveable! The U.S. has yet to produce a vehicle that gets 50 miles/gallon and here TATA went and did it. Glad to see innovation. I think the picture is clearer once you put this annoucement into context of two other recent news items.

1. Tata won the bid for purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford.
2. Japan’s domestic auto sales for 2007 at a 35-year low.
3. 2007 China began manufacturing MG Rover automobiles.

By: Nazia Vasi

Nazia Vasi — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:54:09 +0000

I don’t think the milage is that bad, unveiled today, the company said the Nano has a 624 cc engine and will give a mileage of 20 kilometers per liter (50 miles a gallon) – not bad for a car that affordable!

By: mm

mm — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:45:19 +0000

only 2,556 USD?
Is it safe? The driver probablly needs to use 1k worth of gas each year