NANO
01-11-2008, 01:43 PM
Competition already!
Forty-eight hours before the fanfare heralding the introduction of Tata Motors' 1-lakh ($2,500) Nano, India's Bajaj Auto, which is negotiating with Renault for small cars, introduced a 1.2-lakh ($3,000) concept at the New Delhi Auto Expo.
Best known as India's second largest manufacturer of scooters — and the maker of the ubiquitous three-wheeled tuk-tuks that roam New Delhi's roads — Bajaj Auto is looking to expand from the two-wheel market and into the realm of small city cars. Bajaj is negotiating with Renault to bring this small car unveiled at the show to market within the next three to four years. Yet the unveiling was vague (at best) when it came to technical specifics.
No engine or transmission options were mentioned, other than the promise that a production version would offer gas and diesel engines, as well as far better fuel economy than similarly sized rivals.
"Price is not the center of the product," said Rajiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto, during the company's press conference. That could be taken as a clever way of working around the fact that Bajaj simply couldn't match the bare-bones price of the Tata Nano, at 1 lakh ($2,500). If and when Bajaj's small car comes to market, it would likely be priced closer to $3,000.
Separated from the crowds by thick glass walls, it was difficult to determine how serious the car truly is and whether it's a running prototype. From the outside, the Bajaj is similar in size and proportions to other tall one-box vehicles like the Indian-market Hyundai i110, or the Scion xA hatchback sold in the States.
What this means to you: 1 lakh or 1.2, you won't see these small, cheap cars in the US.
Source - Edmunds
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/news/2008/0110/bajaj.auto.4.500.jpg
Forty-eight hours before the fanfare heralding the introduction of Tata Motors' 1-lakh ($2,500) Nano, India's Bajaj Auto, which is negotiating with Renault for small cars, introduced a 1.2-lakh ($3,000) concept at the New Delhi Auto Expo.
Best known as India's second largest manufacturer of scooters — and the maker of the ubiquitous three-wheeled tuk-tuks that roam New Delhi's roads — Bajaj Auto is looking to expand from the two-wheel market and into the realm of small city cars. Bajaj is negotiating with Renault to bring this small car unveiled at the show to market within the next three to four years. Yet the unveiling was vague (at best) when it came to technical specifics.
No engine or transmission options were mentioned, other than the promise that a production version would offer gas and diesel engines, as well as far better fuel economy than similarly sized rivals.
"Price is not the center of the product," said Rajiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto, during the company's press conference. That could be taken as a clever way of working around the fact that Bajaj simply couldn't match the bare-bones price of the Tata Nano, at 1 lakh ($2,500). If and when Bajaj's small car comes to market, it would likely be priced closer to $3,000.
Separated from the crowds by thick glass walls, it was difficult to determine how serious the car truly is and whether it's a running prototype. From the outside, the Bajaj is similar in size and proportions to other tall one-box vehicles like the Indian-market Hyundai i110, or the Scion xA hatchback sold in the States.
What this means to you: 1 lakh or 1.2, you won't see these small, cheap cars in the US.
Source - Edmunds
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//media/il/news/2008/0110/bajaj.auto.4.500.jpg