Tata Group: A Chat With The Talk Of The Town
Posted at 05:31, 2008-Jan-11
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The launch of the People's Car by Tata Motors highlights a significant moment in India's automotive industry history. The company introduced the cheapest car in the world with an initial price of only $2,500 or 100,000 rupees. The car was named the Nano, because apparently, it is a small car with advanced technology. The Nano is expected to be the next big step in a journey that was initially started by Indica. According to Tata.com, it is the realization of a ground-breaking dream to produce a breakthrough creation worldwide that modifies the rules of the small-car industry.
I dug up some bits of info from the interview with Tata’s chairman Ratan Tata courtesy of company’s news and headlines check it out:
The Tatas and you, in particular, are on the brink of realising a long-cherished ambition. Do you feel vindicated? Are you apprehensive?
There has always been some sort of unconscious urge to do something for the people of India and transport has been an area of interest. As urbanisation gathers pace, personal transport has become a big issue, especially since mass transport is often not available or is of poor quality. Two-wheelers - with the father driving, the elder child standing in front and the wife behind holding a baby - is very much the norm in this country. In that form two-wheelers are a relatively unsafe mode of transporting a family. The two-wheeler image is what got me thinking that we needed to create a safer form of transport.
What are the innovations that have made the Tata Nano possible, from design to product finalisation?
Initially I had conceived a car made by engineering plastics and new materials, and using new technology like aerospace adhesives instead of welding. However, plastics didn't lend themselves to the volumes we wanted because of the curing time required. Volumes mean the world in this context: if we produce this car and if it is for the wider base of the pyramid, we can't settle for small numbers because then the purpose is defeated.
Other than emission norms and safety standards, what are some of the other challenges, physical and psychological, that Tata Motors had to overcome to make this car happen?
There was the usual dilemma of what is basic and what is nice to have. A basic car may not have all the niceties its fancier cousins sport, and when you're looking at saving money on every single bit of the car - even parts that cost as little as Rs20 - you keep facing these dilemmas. Hundreds of such dilemmas have risen.
To view the rest of the details in the interview, click here!