Thursday, January 10, 2008

Hello Nano

Ratan Tata has done it. A car for about a lakh Indian Rupees. Unimaginable even a few years ago, but a reality today when Ratan Tata unveiled it at the Auto Expo in Delhi. He aims to market it around the world. Newspapers across the world from Washington Post to New York Times to Reuters are agog with this news.

Moreover, environmentalists are also taking up cudgels against the Tatas for the pollution that might ensue. But Ratan Tata says it conforms to the Euro-4 Standard which is still not mandatory in India.

The launch of the Tata Nano in all probability could result in many, who otherwise would not have dreamt of owning a car going in for cars in India and it could definitely benefit many but do we have the roads for new cars. Traffic problems are galore in cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and most other cities which witness chock-a-block traffic through the day. This will only add to the number of vehicles and thus adding to the congestion, confusion and chaos on the streets and not to forget the ever-increasing road rage.

1 comment:

Suchin Kerlapur said...

Exactly what I was thinking about. Yes car becomes affordable. As such with current prices of cars we have used up all bylanes, passages, creeks and footpaths to drive/park cars. It was already becoming affordable. But why would TATA care for congestion?

What TATA should do, with concern for Indian roads, is that he must for next 10 years concentrate on selling his cars outside India. Fill up the other world with our cars, bring in Dollars/Yens/Marks/Euros and Pounds to India. Fill up their roads while we fill in our Reserve Bank in surplus. Good enough.

As such we all drive through mad roads. Horrible traffic. And now there's another model.

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