Its official then.. The Tata Nano is the Car of the year. Hurray. But lets stop and think for a moment.. What is the Car Of The Year Award? Its something that you do in appreciation of a Car that is simply everything you need... Which the Nano is not. The car of the year is supposed to be a winner in every way... The Nano is downright Cheap. Period. Its not practical, its not safe, it doesn't look good, its not revolutionary in anyway, its not fast, etc, etc! The COTY award is something shows that a car is the way forward, something thats a Template to all future cars. The Nano is a step backward! Toyota made the iQ and thats a future, Nano is a car thats totally in the opposite direction. If it was something that I would love to have, something I could live with everyday, something that was THE car, then it would have only been obvious that it was presented the COTY award. It just simply isn't.And its nothing revolutionary... Its only plain cheap and it fails on every other aspect. The COTY award is certainly not justified... In my opinion, If the COTY award was to be justified, and if it was to be given to an Indian Car, why not give it to the Manza? Yes, it doesn't look that good... but its miles better than the Nano on every front. A car that costs less than 2 lakhs, less than an Auto Rickshaw... Thats gotta say something about the Nature of the car doesn't it?

And If I still don't make any sense, look at the BOTY award.... The Kawasaki Ninja 250. Why was it awarded the BOTY award, when there are so many cheaper options? I'll tell you why... Its forward thinking... we want more bikes like the Ninja... Its got something that future Indian bikes could learn from... The Ninja isn't that cheap, its not that economical, and its damn fast, looks awesome, and still its got the BOTY award, which doesn't make any sense.

The BOTY costs twice as much as the COTY. Go Figure!

And one more thing.... Mr. Sirish says that the Nano was a Car that "Couldn't be made". Really? I've got two words... Bugatti Veyron.... That was something that was impossible and and still it turned out to be awesome.... But The Nano had one simple formula... "Keep It cheap". My respect for Tata in achieving the Nano is boundless.... But The COTY Doesn't seem justified...

no, its justified....maruti didn't have guts to launch such low cost car neither any other company. The nano attracted world's best car makers towards Tata and India...

So is just "Low Cost" everything thats needed to become the car of the year??

No Slipstreamw16 or maybe its easier to call you Kartik, the Nano deserves the car of the year award. I think you are simplifying the issue too much. The kind of hurdles faced by TATA to bring out the Nano were very unique. And by that I am not indicating Madam Banerjee's intervention in things. The solutions including packaging the engine at the rear and making low cost bearings to keep the costs down are not obvious ones. The design or the car itself is amazing. I am a fatso and inspite of that two other people could fit into the rear of the car, with discomfort though. Though it is an inexpensive car it does not look cheap and actually looks very stylish. It has a lot of things going for it my young friend and all that justifies the car becoming the car of the year. In fact, nothing else would be acceptable to me when the Nano was eligible for the award. And I am not speaking out of some false or stupid Indian pride.

There you go! Thanks a lot! I would've had to type out three times more words to tell him exactly the same message.


I think the problem with the Nano, as far as ssw16 understands it is that its 'cheap'. The concept of trying to make cars affordable to a lot more people is a concept he just doesn't seem to get, or doesn't want to



Why isn't it safe? Why doesn't it look good? Why isn't it revolutionary?

@Sadsack bro,

Yes Tata Faced Many Hurdles, And thats why my respect for Tata... But, the downfalls are just way too much. It is cheap isn't it? I mean the quality and all? Its not that safe, Its got no boot, And its competing against Motorcycles! And this car is being sold at a Loss and the Next Batch of Nanos won't cost the Same right? And I haven't driven the Nano, and I don't think I am gonna either. I Test drove the Cruze. But Till date I haven't considered Test driving the Nano. Why is that? With all the Auto Journos going bonkers on the way it drives and all, I still don't feel excited about it. And why buy the Nano in the first place? I mean There are so many better deals in the Second Hand Market... And Its also reportedly going up in flames(Something it has in common with Lamborghinis ) Which begs the Question of Reliabilty. Car of The Year? I don't think so.


Car Of The Year is awarded to something Thats the Future. Would you like to see the world Full of Nanos, bro? I'd love an India full of green Ninjas, our BOTY. But Nanos? Really? If I were awarding The Nano I'd have given it a new award! Something that praises the effort Tata Made, But The COTY isn't justified.

Yes bro, It is cheap. You're not denying that are you? Anything thats made affordable isn't actually a good thing.... Arms and Drugs were made affordable and look at the world! The Nano was made with one Aim. "A Car For a lakh". Thats all... It wasn't built with Passion... It wasn't built as a dream to create an awesome car, It wasn't built for the Petrol head, It doesn't answer our prayers for THE car in India... Its just a cheap car.

Why isn't it safe? okay... You gonna hit a tree at 60kmph. You're given a choice of sitting inside a Nano and a Range Rover, which one would you choose...

Heres The Nano's Crash Test Video....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahw7-KarkWw

On The looks front.. its a Matter of opinion right?

Yes its not revolutionary! Its not a Hydrogen Fuel celled car.... On a Serious note... Do you really think The Future cars are all gonna be based on The Nano?

I am not patronizing you SSW16 but you are young, passionate and very convinced about your ideas and thoughts. I shall therefore do nothing whatsoever to argue with you about the Nano. However I would like to ask you a couple of questions and point out a couple of things. Inexpensive does not mean cheap. First lets us get that clear. There is no reason why a car cheaper than a bike should not win the car of the year. You want to see more green on the road. I have no problem with it. I am buying one to contribute to the greenness. Now let me put you a poser. Why buy a Ninja 250 R for 3 lakhs when you can buy a second hand 600 or 750 for a cheaper or equivalent price? My answer is because it is new. That would be the same for Nano too. You can buy Premier cars for less than Rs. 10 thousand. You can buy M 800s for 25k or 40k. But we don't. That is because they would like something new. The smell of a new car is very intoxicating. As for the fire bit. Toyota has been recalling the Prius because it has some software glitch related to its brakes. So are we saying the Prius does not deserve to be called safe? Hitting a tree at 60 kph. What protection do you get in a Maruti Alto, Eeco and more importantly what protection do you get when you hit a tree while riding the Ninja? You did not feel like test driving the Nano because you are a performance afficianado and therefore see no reason to test drive it. Which is fine, but does that mean the Nano is unworthy of the award. There are different people with different desires and tastes. You have a right to not be impressed with something but you don't say on the basis of that, that the Nano does not deserve what it has got.

Well said!

@ssw16: The P220 DTs-i is cheaper than the P220 DTs-Fi, but it seems to be quite a good competitor.

Now that you keep shoving the Ninja 250 into our faces as the basis for your argument, I'm gonna have to disagree with that. The Ninja 250 is expensive, not made in India, and I believe got the BOTY simply for the lack of numerous nominations! Yes, there was the Classic, but still the green monster is legendary and so must've easily won the jury's hearts.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't the Nano passed crash tests well? The Euro version especially? To put things into perspective , TVS's autorickshaw costs nearly 2 lakhs, for less than that amount, Tata gives you 600 cubic centimetres of engine, doors, twin headlamps and so on


Honestly, the year I would celebrate, would be the one where an Indian company makes a car based on the muscle car philosophy of a huge engine, fat fat rubber, jaw droppingly good looking and priced at or under 8 lakhs. Save the gizmos for the executive sedans. This one should be all about performance and good looks! this one should get the Car of The Yearsss award!

Like sadsack said, we all have different requirements, which translates into passion for different things, and to put down the efforts of the awesome team that worked on the Nano for all these years, on a public forum like this, is sort of saddening.

@Sadsack bro,

Ah, see... Now that makes sense! But isn't a 600cc bike a better bargain than a Ninja? And contributing to greeness? Nice! And Yes, The Prius isn't safe! Seriously, That car does more environmental Damage than a Range Rover with a Petrol V8!

You have given me plenty of good reasons... and I know I'm a performance nut, and that I have the mind of a 5 year old.... But I still have one doubt. The Nano, how much ever effort was put into it, is a step backward isn't it? Our country has been making cheap cars since day one. And we just made a cheaper car. The cheapest. And we're appreciating that?

And about the second hand cars, well... I ask again... Why buy the Nano? I mean it isn't better built than any other second hand car, isn't as spacious, isnt as fast, isn't as big, and still buy the Nano just because its new? I'm not convinced. I mean there are Japanese cars for the same money as the Nano in the second hand car market, I don;t see how the Nano could be a better car than any of the Japanese cars.

And I still don't get the bit on how the Nano is more deserving than the i20, Manza, Cruze, Jazz, Superb to be the car of the year.

I have to say, I'm more convinced now, than when I read "Its a car that just couldn't be made"... and thanks bro, for taking time to explain all this to me.... But The COTY.. Ummm... Nope!

Slayer Bro,

Ninja got the BOTY for lack of competition? What about the RTR 180? Thats made in India and will be bought by lotsa ppl... I mean its affordable. And winning the Jury's heart must have been the reason! See thats not all thats necessary! There has to be tests, points awarded, pros and cons have to be taken into account. Then it would be a fair award...

@ Slayer bro...

And about the crash tests... No.. The EuroNCAP haven't tested it. And the only crash tests the Nano has taken is the Indian one, which Ratan Tata says, it passed and it must have not been that difficult! And one more test was done by Autocar at the MIRA testing centre, where ironically even Top Gear's Hammer Head Eagle i-Thrust passed its crash tests. The car used there had special frontal impact strengthening beams and all other stuff. It wasn't the Nano being sold here. And so, no, There is no concrete evidence The Nano Passed all the crash tests.

For The Benefit of those who haven't watched the Hammer Head Eagle I-Thrust's crash test.. heres the video...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxPAWFQJpu4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF4O-1UDqx4

Er.. you just lost whatever little credibility you had, I'm sure not too many will get the joke

As to the topic at hand, a TVS autorick cost lil' less than 2 lakhs, so nope, the Nano is not a step backward.

Again, test drive the car and then offer your changed opinion ( I'm just hoping ) . If you again go back to square one yelling 'I don't feel like testing the car', then I suggest you refrain from making comments on the poor lil' thing called Nano Just let it be.

I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities to hurl curses at Nanos once they're on the road in huge numbers.. my my.. aren't we in for a massive party in a couple of years.

@ Slayer Bro...

See thats another point! The Nano is gonna clog up the roads, even more! The roads are already choked! But Can't blame the Nano for that can we?