Perhaps not since the iPhone has a single product generated so much global buzz. Unveiled to the public over a month ago, the Tata Nano—a tiny, cheap car for the masses—could dramatically alter the world’s largest democracy. Costing just over 1 lakh (or about US$2,500) when it goes on sale later this year, the Nano is so hotly anticipated the market for its ancient competitor, the Maruti 800, has all but dried up as India’s wage-earners save up for their first new car.
It sounds a little like the Ford Model T for 1920s America, or the VW Beetle for 1950s Europe. This time, though, the car crunch is expected, and debate is raging, most vocally in India, over whether the “1 lakh car” is such a good thing. Sure, the Nano has some innovative flair. The rear-engine drivetrain, which has 34 patents, boasts low-emissions and laudable mileage. They even gave the buzzy 33hp 623cc 2-cylinder aluminum engine a balance shaft to smooth out the harmonic vibrations.
But does India need another 100 million gas burners? Some believe the carbon footprint of this many Nanos, no matter how small, will hurt our environment in a macro way. Congestion, some fear, will be off the charts.
But it’s too late to put the Nano in the bottle. The automobile has been a great equalizer in society. Millions of Indians will have increased independence, and the Nano will help them see the world outside their tiny village or sprawling metropolis. Better yet, millions of polluting two-cycle motors and unsafe family scooters will be retired. If anything, the Nano will inspire India’s innovators, who may soon replace the motors with batteries, compressed air, hydrogen cells, or ultracapacitors.
