Nano’s economy appeal draws car owners too

Despite expectations that only motorcycle and scooter owners would upgrade to Tata Motors Ltd’s Nano small car, the vehicle is also attracting attention from those who already own bigger cars.

Pune builder Vinod Sanghvi is one such. He owns a Honda City, a Tata Indigo and a Maruti 800, but has still bought two application forms to book the Nano—one for himself and the other for his wife.

“What sold me the car was its economies—mileage and the initial purchasing cost—and the fact that it is roomy despite being such a small vehicle,” said Sanghvi, 52, who plans to use the bigger cars only to travel out of town or for something special in the evenings.

At Mumbai’s High Street Phoenix Mills, where the Nano was on display, Vishwas and Carolina, senior consultants at a multinational firm, were buying their application form at Croma, a Tata group-owned electronics retail chain.

“It’s easily manoeuvrable and easy to park. I think it looks cool and resembles the BMW Smart,” said Carolina. The couple, who declined to give their last name, already own a Skoda Octavia sedan.

Tata Motors announced the commercial launch of the Nano on 23 March. Applications went on sale on 1 April. Bookings for the car begin on Thursday and sales in July. Applications will be accepted till 25 April and Tata Motors will announce allotments by lottery of the first 100,000 cars within 60 days after bookings close.

While analysts are unwilling to hazard a guess on the total number of bookings as not everyone buying the form may end up buying the car, they believe that one of the reasons behind the subdued response from two-wheeler owners could be the cost of ownership.