As Ratan Tata launched the Nano amid much fanfare, there were lot of skeptical eyes looking at him (including mine), but they were surely outnumbered by thousands of hopeful ones. However what has transpired following the launch has surprised many. I’m referring to the fact that the car is yet to receive a negative review and, in fact what were supposedly its Achilles’ heel (namely emissions and safety) too have been appreciated.
What the Tata’s have done is not just make a decent car (this they’ve done earlier too, with the Indica), but instead they’ve given the vast underprivileged lot of the country a tool to realize their dreams, cause a car in India was still a dream, until now. This places him right up there in the league of greats such as Gottlieb Daimler and Henry Ford, two men credited with empowering the world with affordable personal mobility. And surely it does not finish here. With the launch of the Nano, Ratan Tata has announced the arrival of India in the automotive scene with authority. What many have tried to do and failed (Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn came the closest with the Logan) has been done, and done beautifully at that by a relatively low profile manufacturer.
But it evn does not end here. This small car has given birth to one of the biggest debates in the country and caused people to question the government on some much wanted but forgotten issues. Lot of people have criticized the car prior to launch, which includes prominent ministers and social activists stating that the car will increase pollution, cause mega traffic jams and burden the economy in the means of increased oil imports. I feel they all are missing the target. They are focusing on the problems and not the solutions. What they should be stressing about instead, are the need for better road infrastructure and mass transport and more importantly bring them closer to international standards. This will automatically solve what they’re afraid of, cause Nano or no Nano, what they’re hinting at will happen sooner or later. And just to bring things in perspective, India has 3.5 four wheelers per sq km of road space. This is lower than all “comparable” countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Even if we take Delhi at 47.5 per km, it is still lower than the other country averages. Further the developed countries have far more vehicles on a much smaller landmass. But they still are not in such bad a condition as ours. Why? The answer is very simple, firstly they have a very effective mass transport system. Think logically, given an option why would I drive daily to office (n take risk, spend money) if I have decent mass transport system. The success of the Delhi metro being a cse in point. Secondly these countries have regulations which discourage the use (and not purchase of cars). They are many such as congestion taxes in London, or environmental taxes (based on the car’s particulate emissions) in California.
Continuing with the Tatas, they’re not just content at this and are very close to sealing the purchase of Jaguar, one of the most respected luxury sports brands in the world. And that an Indian company purchases an icon of the erstwhile “Raj” makes it all the more sweet. The contribution of Tata for the country could not have been brought out better than as by Vir Sanghvi in Counterpoint, Hindustan Times dated Sunday 13 Jan 08. They ought to be applauded for all their efforts and not ridiculed for the problem that is not even of their own making. The Tatas have always been trying to give the best of the automotive world to the common Indian and no other manufacturer can even come close to what they’ve achieved in such a short span of time with so many restrictions imposed on them.
But all said and done, in the democracy one can’t stop a manufacturer from launching cars, nor can one stop people from buying it. What instead can be done is that they can be discouraged from diving it often. And this can only be achieved only by the government making policies in favour of it. But all this only after the people have a way out in the name of effective mass transport system. In the mean time, we’ll have to wait and see if the Nano will become an icon of changing times or just another drop in the million annoying, polluting vehicles plying on our hapless roads.
