Sh Zahir Haq lost his farmland to the Nano factory, but still applied for a car, when bookings for the Tata Motors Rs 1 lakh car opened at Singur on April 9.
And he is not alone: an appreciable number of Singur residents booked the Nano through the bank branches in the area, with the State Bank of India (SBI) branch as the nodal point.
In other words, land losers in the Singur area, comprising the small bustling town 40 km west of Kolkata on National Highway 2, and the farming hamlets like Bejemelia lying between the town area and the highway, have nothing against the Nano.
The plant was to be built on 1,000 acres of land acquired by the state government in 2006-end.
SBI declined to discuss the volume or break-up of bookings through its branches, but sources in the branch at Singur said around 50 people had applied for the Nano in the area.
The response at the Singur branch was better than the response at the larger neighbouring town of Srirampur. Small traders like Raghav Dutta said he decided to book the Nano because it was cheap and looked good.
Singur residents may have been associated with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress-led agitation demanding return of 300 acres to “unwilling land losers” that made Tata Motors abandon its nearly completed plant there in September 2008, but they feel the plant could have still come up there if the government had not been so obstinate about returning land and raising compensation, according to Sujan Naskar, a salaried person who also came to deposit his booking form.
Singur has a flourishing local market in consumer durables like motorbikes, electrical goods and is the heart of a booming agricultural market, thanks to the multi-crop land all around it, along with a suburban railway station used by thousands to commute to work to Kolkata daily.
Though some bookings are expected from such hamlets, the Nano number is interesting because Singur bookings topped the surrounding areas at first glance.
“I am not surprised because many landowners received more than Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh as compensation and usually have jobs in Kolkata, in addition to owning land,” said the SBI source.
Thanks to land reforms in Left Front-ruled West Bengal, land also supported two other tiers — the registered sharecropper (called bargadar) and registered farm labourer.
These appear to have lost more following the government’s land acquisition process based on administered rather than market price.
Perhaps this fuelled the agitation for the return of land.
In small towns like Singur, the usual favourite is the Maruti Omni van because it promises space at a reasonable price, besides good mileage, ground clearance and reliability.
Tata Nano can be booked online at CarWale.com. The booking is powered by Tata Capital Ltd. Booking amount for Nano Base, CX and LX are Rs.3199, Rs.3799 and Rs.4299 respectively
Here is the original post:
Book Tata Nano online at CarWale.com » CarWale News
Tata Motors has received an overwhelming response to its Rs 1 lakh wonder, Nano, selling over 51,000 booking forms in the last three days.
According to sources close to the company, it sold 51,000 booking forms from its 218 dealerships since it started selling on April 4.
When contacted, a Tata Motors spokesperson said, “The response is progressing increasingly everyday.” He, however, declined to give any more specific details.
The sources, however, said the forms were sold only at Tata Motors dealerships and not at other outlets such as that of Croma, Westside and Titan World.
The company had launched Nano on March 23 and booking will start from April 9 till April 25.
In the National capital, it will have a price range of Rs 1.23 lakh to Rs 1.72 lakh (ex-showroom) for the three variants.
Only one lakh customers will be chosen through a lot for the first year.
Tata Motors is currently producing Nano at its Uttarakhand plant, which has got an annual capacity of 50,000 units.
Source: Mydigitalfc
Chandigarh: State Bank of India said its financing for Tata’s Nano car buyers is expected to grow its auto loan portfolio by at least five per cent in the northern region during the booking period for the Rs 1 lakh car.
SBI is the sole agent for Nano bookings which starts on April 9 and closes on April 25.
“We are hoping that our auto loan should grow by at least five per cent due to financing of Tata’s Nano car,” SBI Chief General Manager (Chandigarh Circle) Ajay Swaroop told reporters here.
SBI Chandigarh circle, which looks after Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Jammu and Kashmir, annually finances 9,000 vehicles with fresh loan amount of Rs 280 crore and it has an outstanding auto advances of Rs 780 crore, a bank official said.
SBI Chandigarh circle has so far arranged 1.50 lakh booking forms (Rs 300 per form) for distribution to prospective customers while same number of forms has also been made available by Tata Motors in the northern region.
Tata Motors showcased the Nano, which is dubbed as an affordable mode of transportation for Indian families, at 9 locations in Punjab and Chandigarh.
Source: samaylive.com
HYDERABAD: Applications are pouring cats and dogs for the most awaited car, Tata Nano, in Hyderabad. Though it has taken a while in coming, the car arrives with the much promised and much hyped price tag. The Tata showroom at Banjara Hills which unveiled the first Nano car of Hyderabad was buzzing with activity as the crowds made a beeline to the showroom.
From curious onlookers to prospective buyers and trade analysts to mediamen, everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the “little” Nano. The car, pegged as the cheapest car in the Indian market is basically aimed at first time buyers.
On its first day the showroom received 1,500 applications, each application costing Rs. 300. About 1 lakh applicants will be selected randomly by a computer generated list from the whole country. The first batch of Nanos will be delivered in three to six months.
“The cost of the car is tempting and the looks are also quite good. But the frontal view of the car disappointed me. It should have been a little more long,” says a Realtor Upender Reddy.
The Nano has evoked interest in people from different backgrounds who see no harm in going for the car considering the cost.
“I have already applied for the car and have read the reviews that are very positive.
It just doesn’t look like a one lakh car and seems quite on par with any other car in the lower segment. The options and features of the car are satisfying too.
I hope I am one among the lucky one lakh members,” said Santosh, a software engineer.
Sidharth, an executive at Tata Motors says, “the response right from morning has been overwhelming. Even though the launch got delayed it hasn’t affected the sales. The bookings will close on April 25 and on May 10 one lack applicants will be selected through a lottery system.” Though there was a huge response, this did not seem to worry the buyers. “The car is cheap and may be worth too. But what about the traffic issue. There is already heavy congestion on the Hyderabad roads and Nano will definitely add to the commuters woes,” feels Pavan.
Mayank Sharma who works at Zafraan restaurant, said he bought along his eightyear- old who was pestering him right from daybreak to see the car.
The customers feel that the car has ample leg space and can easily accommodate four members. Many of the buyers seemed to find the more expensive model of the Nano, which comes at a price tag of Rs. 1.7 lakh, attractive. This version comes with features like power windows, air conditioner and power steering.
What is to be seen is whether the car can sustain in the market. It would be interesting to watch how it fares in the future.
Source: Expressbuzz
NEW DELHI — Six years after the idea was hatched, India’s much-hyped Tata Nano was introduced on Monday.
The supercheap compact car with a base model selling for about $2,230 is aimed at the developing world’s millions of motorcycle owners with four-wheel dreams. It arrives as Tata Motors struggles with production problems and a huge debt load.
But as the global economy withers and automakers bleed cash and cut employees, global warming continues and oil prices creep back up, even rivals say that tiny, wallet-friendly, fuel-efficient cars like the Nano might be where demand grows worldwide.
“We’re quite confident there is going to be huge market for that segment,” said Ashish Sinharoy, a vice president at Renault India. Renault and Nissan have partnered with Bajaj Auto, an Indian scooter maker, to introduce a small, cheap car of their own, due out in 2011.
Automakers and car enthusiasts will be following the Nano closely, looking for flaws and gauging consumer reaction. Projects like the Renault-Bajaj alliance, and plans from manufacturers including Honda and Hyundai might be scrapped if the Nano fails. J. D. Power & Associates predicts that Tata will sell 35,000 Nanos this year, because of production constraints. Tata will begin accepting orders next month, charging a fee of $6 to anyone who applies to buy the car. Delivery is expected in July.
Questions linger about Tata’s ability to keep costs down and get production up and about the safety and reliability of the Nano. Several auto analysts say that Tata, which had its first quarterly loss in seven years at the end of January, has been forced to delay payments to its vendors because of a cash squeeze.
Indian auto suppliers are not in straits as dire as their peers in America and Europe, but any supplier disruption could be devastating to the Nano, because its parts are custom-made.
In an e-mailed response to questions about payment delays, Tata Motors said it was “conducting its business properly, adequately and in full partnership with all its vendors.”
The company said most of its vendor relationships are covered by a “bill marketing” system, where Tata’s bank makes payments to the vendors, and Tata Motors pays the bank. “As sales begin to climb, vendor purchases will also improve, and a positive cycle will once again get created,” Tata said.
If the Nano is successful, it will open the market for others, Mr. Sinharoy predicts. He said a car from Renault-Bajaj would be priced at about 150,000 rupees ($3,000) and be even more fuel-efficient than the Nano.
The four-seater Nano can travel 100 kilometers on 4.2 liters of fuel, getting 55.5 miles per gallon. It has lower emissions than most two-wheelers in India, Tata says.
With its 11.8-inch dinner-plate-size wheels, an engine the size of a small outboard motor generating 33 horsepower, and a single windshield wiper, the Nano has already drawn some unflattering comparisons to kitchen appliances and garden tools. When the design was unveiled last year, Jalopnik.com, a car lovers’ Web site, asked, “Yes, but will it blend?”
A few people have driven the car, and were only recently given permission by Tata to talk about the experience.
“It feels like a real car,” said Hormazd Sorabjee, editor of Autocar India magazine, who was one of the early drivers. “It does not feel like a golf cart.”
But, he added, it felt like a car that would be used only for city driving. “You’re not going to take this on an intercity highway,” he said.
The Nano’s fans far outweigh its critics so far. It already has a dedicated Facebook group. More important, it seems to have a number of eager would-be buyers. Despite a vicious land-rights battle that forced Tata to relocate the Nano factory from its West Bengal site, the car is viewed with great pride in India.
It is “absolutely critical” that the Nano goes well, Mr. Sorabjee, said. “The success of this will change the rules of carmaking in the world,” he predicted.
Pawan Goyal, a 35-year-old accountant who lives in Noida, a growing town east of Delhi, said he had been planning to buy the Nano since it introduced a prototype at the Delhi auto show in January 2008.
“By spending 50,000 rupees extra, I will move on to a four-wheeler,” Mr. Goyal, who drives a motorcycle, said. The Nano will allow him to take along his whole family, including two children, ages 10 and 12, and it will be “more comfortable and safe” than the motorbike.
The Nano may attract more than the “starter” market because of the economic slowdown. “In times of crisis, there is a lot of trading down that happens,” said Arindam K. Bhattacharya, a partner in the New Delhi office of the Boston Consulting Group.
The Nano is built to safety specifications in India but would not serve all markets. Any additional safety features will mean a increase in costs, and it’s unclear whether Tata’s plans to sell the Nano in the rest of South Asia and Europe will pan out.
But consumers in Europe and the United States may demand a Nano of their own. “Consumer behavior can be stimulated simply by the economic issues we’re facing today,” said Dan Oxyer, a partner with the consulting company A. T. Kearney.
Some car experts are skeptical about whether the Nano will succeed. “It goes without saying a good car at a low price will sell well in global markets,” said John Bonnell, head of Asia forecasting at J. D. Power & Associates.
The fact that the Nano is here at all, though, proves the Big Three American automakers wrong, Mr. Bhattacharya said. When he made presentations on the Nano to Western car manufacturers a few years ago, “they would all laugh and say that it couldn’t be done,” he recalled.
Hari Kumar and Nick Kurczewski contributed reporting.
Source: nytimes.com
Tata Motors today said it will have talks with the West Bengal government on the Singur land when the Nano factory was originally slated to come up, a day after state Principal Industry Secretary Sabyasachi Sen said the world’s smallest car would be made there.
“Tata Motors will discuss with the West Bengal government matters related to the Singur plot, which is on lease with the company,” the firm said in a statement when asked about Principal Industry Secretary Sabyasachi Sen’s claim that the Rs 1 lakh car Nano would “definitely be made in West Bengal”.
Sen’s comments came seven months after the Tatas announced relocating the Nano facility, citing an adverse political environment in the face of the Trinamool Congress’s unrelenting opposition.
“Tata Motors does not have any other information to share,” the statement said but did not detail the issues that the company would take up with the state government.
Source: Business Standard
Tata Motors has applied for patent protection for over 37 inventions and innovations linked to its high-profile affordable car, Nano, in an aggressive move to protect the brand against imitation in the ultra-competitive car industry. It is also close to filing intellectual property rights (IPRs) claims for Nano in overseas markets, company officials said.
The company has used a number of new concepts and ideas to develop this vehicle and patents will help in protecting some of its innovative ideas, according to officials close to the development. The move is also expected to help Tata Motors to sell the car in markets such as Africa, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
The Nano is being readied for domestic launch by the end of this month and a global launch in 2011. Tata Motors has filed more than 400 patent and design applications for its various vehicles and processes, it is learnt.
A company spokesperson said, “As far as the Tata Nano is concerned, 37 inventions have been filed for patent protection so far to cover all the innovations in the car. We are also considering filing IPs on Nano in overseas locations at an appropriate time… Most of the patent applications filed before 2007 have already been granted.
Further, nearly one-fifth of the patent applications are in the process of getting protection in other countries based on the marketing portfolio, scope of invention and costs involved in protection and enforcement.”
Company sources said in addition to the design, Tata Motors has put in a lot of effort to develop components to reduce costs and make the rear-engine driven vehicle fuel-efficient. Other global and local auto companies have announced plans to develop a similar low-priced vehicle for the Indian roads ever since the Tata group announced its plans.
Analysts said it made sense for the Tatas to seek global patents, given their international business growth strategy. “Increasingly, there will be a lot of awareness and sensitivities involved around technology and the manner of presentation in a competitive market.
Given the nature of the vehicle, Nano, and the efforts taken by the Tata group in building it, patents and IP will be a very important focus area for them,” said KH Viswanathan, associate director of Astute Consulting & Business Services, which specialises in patents and IPRs.
The base model of Nano, costing Rs 1 lakh, will be fitted with variomatic gears, which means it will be gearless for all practical purposes, instead of the standard manual gears in conventional cars. The car will sport a rear engine, variomatic transmission and boot space is in the front.
This is a radical departure, given that auto-transmission variants are typically priced higher in India than their manual variants. The changes have been apparently made to improve fuel efficiency and ensure that the price tag is kept to a lakh. The base variant will be priced around Rs 1 lakh and the higher-end version will cost around Rs 1.4 lakh-Rs 1.6 lakh. The company is yet to announce the pricing and booking details.
Source: RDMAG
Tata Motors’ domestic sales for the month of March 2009 were 52,686 nos. The company’s total sales (including exports) were 54,485 vehicles. The company’s sales (including exports) for the fiscal 2008-09 were 498,581nos.
While the financial stimulus announced by the Government, particularly for commercial vehicles, has had a positive impact, the retail market would still take some time to reach the corresponding period levels of the last fiscal. As a result, March 2009 domestic sales nos. were 13% lower than that of March 2008. Cumulative sales (including exports) for the company were 498,581 nos., 14% lower than 582,390 nos. sold in the last fiscal.
Commercial Vehicles
The company’s sales of commercial vehicles in March 2009 in the domestic market were 29,006 nos., 24% higher than that in February 2009 but 19% lower than 35,993 vehicles sold in March 2008. M&HCV sales at 12,333 nos. reflect a 40% growth over February 2009, but 40% lower than March 2008. LCV sales at 16,673 nos. are 9% higher than March 2008.
Cumulative sales of commercial vehicles in the domestic market for the fiscal were 265,012 nos., a decline of 15% over 313,360 nos. last year. Cumulative M&HCV sales stood at 113,674 nos., a decline of 32% over last year, while LCV sales for the fiscal were 151,338 nos., a growth of 3% over last year.
During the year, Tata Motors launched the Winger High Roof AC Ambulance, LPT 407 EX2 truck and the Super Milo range of bus chassis.
Passenger Vehicles
The company’s sales of passenger vehicles in March 2009 in the domestic market at 23,680 nos. were the highest this fiscal, 24% up over February 2009, but 4% lower than 24,737 vehicles sold in March last year. The March 2009 passenger car sales of the Indica and Indigo range put together at 18,642 nos. were the highest this fiscal, surpassing February 2009 sales of 15,524. The Indica range sales at 13,678 nos. were 5% higher than March 2008 and the highest this fiscal. The Indigo range sales of 4,555 nos. were 8% higher than February 2009, but 11% lower than March 2008. The Utility Vehicle/SUV range accounted for sales of 5,038 nos., were the highest this fiscal, registering a 43% increase over the previous month of February, but a 23% decline over March 2008.
Cumulative sales of passenger vehicles in the domestic market for the fiscal were 200,159 nos., a decline of 7% over 214,758 nos. in the same period last year. Cumulative sales of the Indica range at 111,257 nos., reported a decline of 18%. For the January – March quarter 2009, Indica range sales at 36,426 nos. have grown by 2.5% over January – March 2008. Cumulative sales of the Indigo family were 49,190 nos., a growth of 57%. Cumulative sales of the Utility Vehicle/SUV range at 39,303 nos. declined by 17.6%.
Tata Motors also did an offtake of 8,075 Fiat cars for distribution, a 139% increase over 3,377 cars sold by Fiat last fiscal.
During the year, Tata Motors’ major launches included the new generation Indica Vista, the Xenon XT lifestyle pick-up and the much awaited Tata Nano. The Tata Nano has gone on display at dealer showrooms and other authorised outlets from today along with the sale of booking forms. The bookings will be accepted from April 9 to 25, 2009.
Exports
The company’s sales from exports at 1,799 vehicles in March 2009, were up 36% over February 2009, but declined by 69% compared to 5,765 vehicles in March 2008. The cumulative sales from exports for the fiscal at 33,410 nos. declined by 38% over 54,272 nos. in the same period last year.
2 Responses to “ Tata Nano now on public display”.