Tata Motors' to launch Nano car in Bangladesh

[Banana]

---

---

DHAKA: India's Tata Nano, billed as the world's cheapest car, will go on sale in Bangladesh on Saturday - but with a price tag nearly triple what it is at home.

The least expensive no-frills Nano will cost 599,000 taka ($7,900), said Abdul Matlub Ahmad, director of Nitol Motors - Tata's sole distributor in Bangladesh.

That price compares with 141,000 Indian rupees ($2,870) for a basic Nano model in India.

"We are now taking orders -- initially we'll sell 3,000 Nano cars. We hope it will be a big hit in Bangladesh," Ahmad said, adding that the Nano's official launch would be in Dhaka on Saturday.

Both the Nano and other rival small cars produced by companies such as Maruti are significantly more expensive in Bangladesh as importers have to pay 132 percent tax on each car, he said.

"The price will come down once we start assembling the car here. If the car becomes popular in Bangladesh, Tata has a plan to manufacture the car locally," Ahmad said.

"We anticipate the Nano will be very popular because it is extremely fuel efficient. You can drive more than 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) with a litre of gasoline," he said.

Petrol, diesel and gas prices have risen sharply in Bangladesh over the past year due to rising global oil prices and the phasing out of government fuel subsidies as Dhaka struggles to rein in its soaring imports bill.

The Tata Nano, billed by the company as the "people's car," generated worldwide interest when it was launched in 2008, and the company is already marketing it in Sri Lanka.

When the Nano was launched, it was expected to create a vast new market segment in India, a nation of 1.2 billion people, but its sales have fallen far short of the hopes.

Analysts attributed the Nano's poor sales to concerns over safety, lack of cheap financing and operational hiccups after production shifted to a new plant.

Last year, Tata was forced to offer free safety upgrades after around half a dozen of the cars caught fire.

Tata Motors' to launch Nano car in Bangladesh - The Economic Times

[Roybot]

Oh God, Bangladesh's traffic is mental as it is. They don't need cheap cars.

[Avisheik]

Oh God, Bangladesh's traffic is mental as it is. They don't need cheap cars.

I agree with you, with the introduction of tata nano, the traffic will be like hell. I think tata nano will not be a sucessful venture for tata in bd

[Loki]

At times I wonder if the Nano is even a car. I'd recommend electric vehicles which India is already producing.

Oh God, Bangladesh's traffic is mental as it is. They don't need cheap cars.

Actually, Bangladesh's traffic is not because of too many cars. It is because of the lack of infrastructure. In Dhaka alone, only 6% of the surface consists of roads according to my university sources.

And a very small percentage of Bangladeshis actually own private cars. A certified pre-owned Corolla from Japan will cost $25,000, and that's the cheapest sedan!

Having driven in Dhaka myself, at times I have come to think those people are better off riding rickshaws!

[Water Car Engineer]

At times I wonder if the Nano is even a car. I'd recommend electric vehicles which India is already producing.

Trust me you don't want the current one in production.





^^^

This is it.. Stay away until REVA produces these.






Test

[Loki]

^^^Looking forward to those. I am sick and tired for paying all the fuel. And I drive a Japanese car!

[integra]

In Dhaka alone, only 6% of the surface consists of roads according to my university sources.

Actually it's 8% according to Urban Study Group, still far off
from the recommended 25%. Heard Mumbai has similar
percentages(8-9%) of road networks.

[Al-zakir]

^^^Looking forward to those. I am sick and tired for paying all the fuel. And I drive a Japanese car!

I would assume second hand Japanese car would be more reliable than brand new Nano. Also Nano may cost you arm and leg, literally. If you get my drift.

Bye the way, this thing look very feminine. Are you sure you want to drive this?

Smart car has enter in USA market recently due to fuel price. I have seen mostly ladies driving this kind of vehicle.

[Roybot]

Actually it's 8% according to Urban Study Group, still far off
from the recommended 25%. Heard Mumbai has similar
percentages(8-9%) of road networks.

Yeah Mumbai is quite bad too, but Kolkata is worse! Luckily Mumbai has suburban railway, although crowded but takes away bulk of the daily commuters with 7 Million people using it everyday. Not to forget monorail and metro rail's first phase is almost nearing completion.

Dhaka needs to sort out its public transportation now. Whatever they have in plan(metro) is woefully inadequate, and the implementation seems to be taking forever. Bangladesh doesn't need cheap cars, it needs decent public transport.

Road space in Indian cities is woefully inadequate: It is 18 percent of total city area in Delhi, 11.9 percent in Bangalore, 10 percent each in Mumbai and Chennai, and 6 percent in Kolkata. Ideally, road space should be closer to 30 percent.

[harpoon]

Bye the way, this thing look very feminine. Are you sure you want to drive this?

Care to explain this part.

[SpArK]

Care to explain this part.

Wider backside.. small front bumper, pointed headlamps... maybe he thought thats feminine.

He rides only a lorry.

[Al-zakir]

Wider backside.. small front bumper, pointed headlamps... maybe he thought thats feminine.

He rides only a lorry.

Well not exactly. These are baby car and look too damn cute for a guy.

Not exactly a lorry but I drive SUV. Honda Pilot.

[SpArK]

Well not exactly. These are baby car and look too damn cute for a guy.

Not exactly a lorry but I drive SUV. Honda Pilot.

If u like SUV buy SUV.. If u like small car buy small car... the choice is urs.. its not mandatory to buy whatever that comes to ur market. The quality of a vehicle is determined by the customer.

I believe people have grey matter to choose the right or not.. so why shower the blames on the car due to hatred towards India?

And here is 2 utility ones from same manufacturer..

[harpoon]

Well not exactly. These are baby car and look too damn cute for a guy.

Not exactly a lorry but I drive SUV. Honda Pilot.

I don't know about US, but there is no such thing as a guy car or a gal car in India...its more about efficiency, convenience, reliability and above all affordability and trust me a lot of Indians will overlook the looks if the car gives a reasonably good mileage (say above 20 km/l)

[Avisheik]

---

---

I don't know about US, but there is no such thing as a guy car or a gal car in India...its more about efficiency, convenience, reliability and above all affordability and trust me a lot of Indians will overlook the looks if the car gives a reasonably good mileage (say above 20 km/l)

They overlook the looks of the car because they do not have much choices. However, you will find that the well off indians does differentiate the looks of the car