I am a mechanical engineer and have observed the design, performance and popularity of scooters, motorcycles and cars over last few decades. I would like to offer my opinion on Tata Nano which may be helpful to some prospective buyers
- Many people have expressed their apprehensions about the safety features of Nano. TATA is a highly experienced automobile manufacturer and the car must have been tested to rigorous standards before production. The success of this product will be watched by people from all over the world. So Tatas must have been very careful. From the reviews in various media it appears that it is a nicely designed car. It should prove much safer than a two or three wheeler for the simple fact that it has four wheels. However, sometimes a two wheeler proves more safe as the rider is thrown out instead of crushed in.
2.In case of frontal collison, the heavy engine at the front acts as a shield and absorbs some impact thereby protecting the passengers. The engine of Nano is at the back. Therefore it may not be as safe. Also in case of collision the front end may move upwards due to the weight of the engine at the back. Let us wait and see how Nano performs during accidents. Nano is primarily designed for city ride and highway safety standards should not be expected in such a small car.
As compared to Maruti 800, Nano has a smaller capacity engine and more interior space.Further the engine is at the rear. I wonder how the A/C will perform when Maruti 800 A/C cooling is not up to standard.
Designing and producing an automobile is one thing but providing trouble free and popular automobile is another thing. TATA is an experienced company and the product must have been designed with lot of care. But I am sure several problems will arise in Nano when it will be driven by inexperienced drivers, over rough roads, under extreme tropical weather conditions, with adulterated fuel, without adequate maintenance and so on. The car is definitely going to be further modified over coming years. The unlucky persons who do not get Nano in the first lottery draw should take comfort in the fact that they will get a better nano if they wait for another one or two years after the company incorporates the improvements. I never buy a costly consumer durable during its initial launch period. I go through the users reviews in various media and then buy it.
Now people prefer to buy durable and maintenance free products instead of cheap things. It often happens that cheaper things prove more costly in the long run due to repair expenses. For some unknown reasons, even maintenance free products do not stand the test of time. During the launch of Kinetic Honda scooter, it was subjected to all India long distance ride alongwith other contemporary scooters. It was found to be the vehicle requiring the least maintenance, It was popular for sometime. But now I find more Bajaj and LML scooters on road than Kinetic. It was an innovative ad good design but it has not been as popular as Bajaj.
The introduction of Nano will force other players to enter the market and consumer may get a cheaper and better car than nano. TATAs must be congratulated for starting the second car revolution after the first car revolution by Maruti 800 in 1980s.