Like all cheap things, the Nano’s credibility is debatable. One can either love it or hate it but surely can’t ignore it.  I have been intrigued and disturbed by the Nano, being skeptical by nature I reserve doubts on the 623cc, 33bhp car which a certain automotive journalist from the United States has dubbed as ‘a golf cart crossed with a jelly bean’. I have therefore taken it upon myself to embark on a journey to find out what the world thinks about the Tata Nano and if there are any like-minded souls out there for whom the whole Nano episode is shrouded in a mist of doubt and fascination.   

The launch of the Nano was shown live on American primetime television. 30 million people watched it and were thrilled; America had been hit by the ‘El Nano’ effect. In a country like America which is used to gas-guzzling cars the Nano was greeted with much skepticism but it sure did have a few takers who hoped to see the Nano being sold in their country quite soon. Motortrends Magazine had called the Nano “the ultimate reverse status symbol” while the Wired Magazine thought it was pretty cute and seemed practically smiling. The much-revered New York Times went a step further and labeled the Nano “another Indian icon” but they did reserve a miniscule bit of doubt on the impact of the car on the environment. But then there were people like Charlie Gibson from ABC who very mockingly put it, “the Nano can seat five people if no one breathes”, and with which I wholeheartedly agree.

 The Nano has created quite a hullabaloo in England as well; the respected Guardian Newspaper has dubbed the Nano “the no-frill smart car”. No frill, since it doesn’t have air conditioning, passenger side mirror or a radio. One can only ponder upon the fate of a car like the Nano in a country like England where people put maximum emphasis on comfort and safety. Anyways, the Nano is not slated to be launched in Europe in the distant future. The Nano has been talked about a lot down under as well. The Sydney Morning Herald called the Nano “the snub nosed wonder”.

Moving to our Indian shores, I have stumbled upon the views of some of the country’s top industrialists and it was quite pleasant to see that most of them were for the Nano, atleast in public. Anand Mahindra, the Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra feels that the launch of the Nano is a moment of history and that he is glad that it is an Indian company is leading the way. Another tycoon who reflected Mr. Anand Mahindra’s views was Venu Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director of TVS Motor who thought the Nano to be a fantastic piece of engineering helping redefine the automobile sector in the country while establishing new grounds.  Mr. Jagdish Khattar, former Managing Director of Maruti Suzuki feels that the Nano will be a success if Tata delivers what it promised. But most interesting was the reaction of the Chairman of Maruti Suzuki, Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi who has outright rejected the idea of making a cheaper car because his company does not know how to build a Rupees one lakh car without sacrificing certain aspects and was honest enough to admit that the advent of the era of the Tata Nano might have some sort of impact on Maruti sales.

After going through the views and reactions of the world I finally come down to the Indian common man because ultimately it is the common man for whom the Nano has been made for. Delhi Police Constable Ashok Singh is excited and claims it is like a dream come true for him. He looks forward to buying the car and adds that his wife will be very happy. Ramesh Kumar, a pan shop owner from Varanasi has already kept aside the Rupees 1, 20,000 that is required to buy a Nano after taxes. He reasons that now he can dispose off his 20-year-old Bajaj scooter and his family of four can finally travel in comfort.   

The Nano will be launched in the market later this year, until then the debate continues.