The One Lakh Car, Brings As Many Problems
Do you realise that if TATA introduces a car for Rs. 1,00,000 (one lakh), we are effectively screwed? The four metros are already choked to capacity and we do not need cheap cars. Every bugger will buy one and we’ll have a nice traffic jam covering the entire city so that everyone ends up taking a boat along the coast rather than take their chances in the traffic. It is nice to make cars affordable to more people but they really should be concentrating on moving businesses and things out of the city and making the public transport system better.
On the other hand, this will cause car prices to fall drastically in the small car segment as Maruthi-Suzuki tries to retain their market share. I actually considered going to Delhi for the auto show there but I don’t have the money right now and I doubt anyone will come with me for company.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:16 am
These idiots just see to increase their fame in the market , but doesnt tries to see the impact of that in future.
January 9th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Imagine the plight of Skoda and Merc car owners.
It’s going to be the 1 lac car owners who will drive like F1 drivers on the road.
But Marc you are forgetting one thing here. Global crude oil prices are on the rise. So even if someone could afford a car, would they be able to afford the petrol ?
Also if these cars give a better mileage, maybe we should use them as replacements for the larger cars to cut down fuel consumption. Sad Reva did not get government concessions. Else it would be seeling sub 2 lacs.
January 9th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Is it still 1 lakh? I thought it had gone up due to raw material costs.
Karthik: I suppose they’d get an LPG conversion. LPG is so cheap for the mileage it gives.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
India is buffering oil prices. It won’t have that much an effect here. Many people buy large cars for space, comfort and brag value and won’t give them up for mileage.
George, you realise LPG is only cheap because so little people use it for vehicles?
January 9th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
LPG is cheap because the government is subsidising it. The repurcussion will be that the tax payers will be paying taxes that will be used up for the subsidising, while the poor will be using up that LPG to drive their 1 lac car around. Social engineering ?
January 9th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Nice claim, but it does not stand up to facts. Armenia and Australia are counter examples.
January 9th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Karthik, I might buy the 1 lakh car and I’m not exactly poor. Yeah the Govt. is subsidising it and it’s cheap now since usage is low. The Govt. is also subsiding diesel which is why it’s cheap.
George, fuel prices are totally different in other countries depending on supply, taxes and environmental laws.
In Soviet Russia, cities make counter examples of you.
January 10th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Marc, I thought even the bikes you considered buying were those expensive 12 lac ones. You are going to buy the 1 lac car ?
If the LPG rates go up because the Govt. thinks people are using it to drive cars around, then kitchens all across the country will suffer. So then you will have to sit and separate LPG for cars from LPG for cooking. And we all know how things work here in India. People will anyway use kitchen LPG’s by bribing local authorities or something.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
[...] car obviously is cheap and looks decent. Of course there are some concerns about the car as Marc pointed out. Despite these problems am sure the car will be successful in India so get ready for some heavy [...]
January 10th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Marc wanted to buy the 12 lac bikes? Anyway you drive your maruti like a madman! Nearly killed an old lady once. If people like you and Ragha get to drive daily then we will have more accidents.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Karthik, the point is many people who could afford normal cars would buy the 1 lakh car. By the way, they already use LPG cylinders meant for home use in vehicles.
Adithya, I have had only one accident with my car so far. I scratched a guy’s bike in a narrow turn since he stopped moving past me.
January 10th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Hey guys…
I dont know why Marc is getting so hyper, if the goverment cant increase roads then why should the car owners be blamed for it. Also TATA was appreciated for its effort for developing the car even by the foreign companies. Do you think the pride and the appreciation isn’t worth at all… guys stop thinking about the accidents and every thing this car can run maximum 70 km/hr. And i think a damn car can be easily controlled at this speed.
And if every bugger is going to buy the car then where is the question of accidents, we will be travelling at a tortoise speed. Also ppl have started running for cars like BMW and Merc, the economy is growing at a faster pace sir… this car will no doubt rule the market very fast but cant do it for long.
January 10th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Sumeet, we are Indians. We can make accidents out of anything. The car can be smashed to smithereens by another bigger Merc quite so. It’s an accident too. Obviously, this car will cause more problems than just accidents.
January 11th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Sumeet, you really have no clue what you’re talking about. Who’s blaming car owners here? I am blaming everyone for breeding like rabbits and filling up the country. Stop talking about pride. The problem with India is that everyone is so damn proud of it that no one sees the problems.
What makes you think cars can be easily controlled at 70 kmph?
Only about 5 or 6 people can afford BMWs and Mercs so they don’t even come into the equation.
Is there any particular point you are making? The car can rule the market fast but not for long? Any particular reason?
January 11th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Only college chairmans drive Mercs.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Nice overall research. I suggest that you take part in the following Forum. Your viewpoints will reach a massive crowd:
http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/cfs/
January 15th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
No thanks.
January 15th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Come on Marc. Go take part.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Like I care about some site where Indians meet and try to make things better without first admitting that the country is fucked up.
January 18th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
[...] There’s been a lot of talk about Tata Nano of late and its pretty warranted too. Apart from being a cheapest car in the world, it is also raising concerns and eyebrows from all corners of the world. ( Read Marc’s articles on the same here.) [...]