Nano, the elitist car

Every time I express huge concern over the launch of the ‘lakhtakiya’ gaadi, and the resultant chaos on the city roads, I get reprimanded with, “Why, must only the elite drive cars?”

My point is, in the already messy metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, the Nano will indeed turn out to be an elitist car. Here’s my theory, and quite frantically, I think I’ve got it right: a vast majority of customers will come from the high income segment, folks who will invest in Nano as the third, fourth or (heavens!) fifth car, for the lady, the mistress, the kids or even Moti, the dog. They will buy it for fun, for learning or simply for kicks. In a market where one crore has become one lakh, you can assume what value these people will place on the Nano. And this is the segment that, with money power, will swing in extra parking slots in their residential colonies, and if that doesn’t work, wouldn’t mind parking this cheapo car on the streets… who gives a damn if the local car lifter does his number.

And contrary of what experts believe, it isn’t really the bikers who’ll ‘upgrade’ to a Nano. In large cities like Bombay, the key reason they chose bikes is not because they are broke, but because they can’t afford parking spaces, and because with a bike, they can maneuver the city roads quickly. None of these two needs will obviously be satisfied by the Nano. If at all, owning a Nano as the first car puts an unhip label on a family, when a car is expected to be a status symbol!

Now, for sure Nano will find appeal with the lower income groups in smaller towns and villages, but it WILL be bought by the new money sods of Lokhandwala Complex in Bombay and Koramangala in Bangalore. And that’s what’s giving me the creeps.

Funnily, in our cities, the Nano will be the rich man’s car, not quite in keeping with the lofty social ambitions of Mr Tata.