The NSE Nifty ended at 2,939, down 7 points. The market breadth was marginally negative - out of 2,636 stocks traded, 1,395 declined, 1,134 advanced and 107 were unchanged on Tuesday.
The Nano may ultimately be a winner but cannot turn around the company in the near term. For the present, Tata Motors continues to stare at a weak demand for both commercial vehicles as also cars. While CV volumes were lower by 51 per cent y-o-y in January 2009, compared with a fall of 46 per cent y-o-y in the December 2008 quarter, to revert to the mean could take a while given that the downturn in the economy persists.
Tata Motors has opted unconventional mediums like web search, viral marketing and innovative public relations-driven campaigns, where the news in brief is called 'Nano news' in some papers and television advertisement breaks are called 'Nano breaks.' There is also Nano merchandise like T-shirts and key chains. Unlike most car launches, it is not supported by a television campaign, leading to a big saving for the company.
The Nano is developed to meet all the safety features that are applicable for passenger cars in India -- which is not saying much. What we like is the fact that the car will be able to meet the upcoming safety norms too. Current norms stipulate that the cars sold in India should meet norms set for full frontal crash, head impact on steering wheel, body block impact on steering system and seat belt anchorage strength, etc.
Go too fast in reverse and the fuel injection will be cut off! High engine temperature, misfire of the engine, injector failure and over speeding will also enable the chime of a buzzer and will flash a warning light on the dashboard. Before you dismiss this, please do know that the EMS controller is the best in the business. The electronic control unit, sensors and actuators are imported from Bosch, Germany.
'We are bothered about the people's problems. The government forcefully and illegally occupied the land at Singur -- that's why we opposed the forceful occupation of the land,' said firebrand political leader Mamata Banerjee, who forced the Nano project to move out of Singur.
The company has already unveiled the European version -- Nano Europa -- at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month -- which is likely to be fitted with a more powerful engine than the Indian version complying with Euro-V emission norms.
Tata Motors on Monday announced that the Tata Nano Standard version (BS2) will be priced at Rs 1 lakh (Rs 100,000) ex Factory Pantnagar (excluding transportation charges and VAT) thereby delivering on the promise made at the unveiling of the car at the Auto Expo in New Delhi last year on January 10th 2008.
Tata had in the past blamed corporate rivals, without naming them, for putting a spanner in the Nano project leading to land acquisition problems in West Bengal. As a result, the project had to be shifted out of Bengal to Sanand in Gujarat. And this came at a cost. The project originally estimated at Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) now costs over Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion).
"I am very satisfied and excited about this launch today and the Nano is not for my ego trip... certainly, not an ego trip at all," Ratan Tata said. The price of Rs 1 lakh was announced six years ago when the plan for the Nano was unveiled at an European motor show, he said. He added the fact that the company has kept its promise goes to show that it was not a "gimmick."
Shares of Tata Motors, which surged over eight per cent in morning trade, shed gains to settle up three per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange as the company launched the world's cheapest car 'Nano'.
"If Nano has gone out of West Bengal and is rolling out from Gujarat on Monday, the Opposition in Bengal, the unholy alliance of Trinamool Congress and Congress is responsible," CPI-M Politburo member Brinda Karat told reporters in New Delhi.
As the Nano made its commercial debut, automotive industry experts opined that the Rs 1 lakh wonder from the Tata stable can give an additional 14 million Indian families access to an affordable car, thus creating a niche segment.
Nano, the wheels that millions of Indians have been waiting to drive, on Monday hit the roads and waved goodbye to Tata Motors' enduring image as a truckmaker.
"The scene will be a bit like the Maruti 800 days. Those who are lucky enough to be allotted cars this year can resell it immediately at a premium of Rs 30,000 due to the anticipated shortage," an executive at a Motors dealer said. Supply, Tata Motors dealers say, would be between 40,000 and 50,000 cars, with 100,000 being the most optimistic estimate. This would mean customers may have to wait for up to two years to get delivery if all the bookings are accepted.
The supply of Tata Motors' much-awaited small car, the Nano, is going to be well below the demand for quite some months.
"The inspiration to develop smaller and cheaper apartments comes from the Nano car, which is eliciting a tremendous response. I am sure our project will see a similar response, given the fact that we will come up with such low-cost apartments in metro cities," said R Nagaraju, general manager, corporate planning, Unitech. It plans to launch mid-segment residential projects in metro and suburban cities over the next few months.
Uttarakhand government has written to Tata Motors, asking the auto major to sell a majority of the Nano cars through its new subsidiary, Tata Motors Distribution Co Limited, which was recently floated at Pantnagar. Through the sale of the Nano cars and other commercial vehicles which are being manufactured at Pantnagar, the state government is hoping to earn additional tax collections of Rs 100 crore to Rs 200 crore through a 12 percent VAT.
"Tata Nano is a unique development. The design and development were carried out from scratch to keep the cost of the car at the Rs 1 lakh level," said K Kasturirangan. The Nano project has already secured 37 patents abroad for its path-breaking technology and has become a powerful brand worldwide. "The setting up of the factory also posed socio-political challenges, but the multi-dimensional approach finally helped in the realisation of the project," he added.
Prices of second-hand cars, mainly compact ones, have fallen 15-20% in the last few days. Dealers in the unorganised market fear a further price dip of 10 per cent when delivery starts and the Nano is seen prominently on roads. The Nano, expected to sport an on-road price of Rs 1.25-1.3 lakh for the no-frills, base version, will compete with the compact cars of Hyundai Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and General Motors.
SBI may charge 14 to 14.75% for 5-year loans.
"This is for the first time that a manufacturer will charge for an application form. However, it will be refunded if an application is rejected," said a senior bank executive. Bookings are expected to start by the last week of March. The forms will be collected through various channels. "All the forms and the collected money will be transferred to SBI, where they will be processed, and loans will be given through various banks within 90 days," said a source.
Apple's decision to stop selling the iPod Nano and Shuffle -- leaving only one iPod, the iPodTouch, on the shelves -- takes us down memory lane.
Tata's small car Nano may not be able to enter Europe due to stringent safety and emission norms, leading German luxury carmaker Audi said joining the list of auto players, who are sceptical about the prospects of the world's cheapest car.
The actor seems to be in love with the new car, launched by the Tatas.
The Nano Europa will have a slightly longer wheelbase of 2.28 metres and will be powered by a 3-cylinder all-aluminum gasoline engine with 5-speed automatic transmission and electric power steering.
The Tata Europa is a jazzed-up version of the Nano that we got to see at the Auto Expo in India last year, but there are some important changes.
The country's largest lender SBI on Friday said it has been appointed as the sole booking agent for the world's least expensive car, Nano, from the stable of Tatas.
Building front-end and stitching it with back-end is a task that IT firms are learning the hard way, finds Raghu Krishnan.
The Nano's mileage is being projected between 17 to 20 km per litre. Last month, Tata Motors had conducted various test runs of Nano on the hilly, serpentine roads of Uttarakhand. Government officials in Dehra Dun claimed the company has given a commitment to Uttarakhand Chief Minister B C Khanduri that it would roll out the first Nano from the state itself.
Tata Motors' Nano, the small car seen as a symbol of India's expertise in frugal engineering, is likely to be launched on March 3. Billed as the world's cheapest, the small car's first recipients may be celebrities, including political leaders, social workers, sports stars and film stars.
The wait for the world's cheapest car could soon be over as Tata Motors could commence limited commercial production of the Rs 100,000 Nano from alternate locations so that the first car could roll out towards the end of March 2009 from Pantnagar till the mother plant came up in Sanand near Ahmedabad.
On the company's performance after entering the Indian market last year, he said the car maker has so far sold 100 units. The company right now delivers cars to customers as completely built units from its headquarters in Sweden.
When minister of state for industries Saurabh Patel announced on Monday the new industrial policy in a press conference, there were a flurry of questions pertaining to the incentives given to the Tata's car project, which was relocated from Singur in West Bengal to Sanand near Ahmedabad.
People in the hilly town of Gopeshwar in Chamoli district were recently surprised to see the Nano, Tata Motors' controversial Rs 100,000 car, parked on a roadside.
Tata Motors already has Nano Europa, a slightly jazzed-up version of the plain vanilla Nano. Nano Europa could make its debut into the European market in 2011 at about $8,000. Reports say that the US version is likely to be similarly priced.
Tata Motors' plans to roll out the first of its Rs 1-lakh (Rs 100,000) small car, the Nano, from Uttarakhand, were boosted today after a high-powered state government committee under Chief Minister B C Khanduri allotted it nearly 45 acres of land to expand the Pantnagar unit.
Tata Motors' planned vendor park at its 1,100-acre Nano project site in Gujarat may be delayed by at least six months, triggering speculation among suppliers of a delay in the Nano project. The delay is mainly on account of global recession, which has slowed down demand for vehicles, according to Rajkot-based suppliers.
Meanwhile, pre-construction work has begun at the Nano plant site in Sanand near Ahmedabad. Spread across an area of 1,100 acres of land, the plant will bear an investment of Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion).
Official sources said that top company officials recently met Uttarakhand Chief Minister BC Khanduri and demanded 35 acres of additional land for expanding the facility. Earlier, the company had sought 55 acres of land at Pantnagar for housing purpose. The government is yet to take a decision in this regard.
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