The cheapest car on earth is from India, a country where the motorcycle is just as popular as in China and where a large percentage of fatalities are attributed to train accidents. The Tata Nano is aimed squarely at this country’s motorcycle riding populace. The Nano will be produced in India and will have a bare minimum of equipment. You won’t get an aircon, power-windows or power steering. The dashboard instrumentation only comes with a speedometer, oil light and fuel gauge. Under the hood is a gasoline powered 623cc engine producing a leisurely 33 horsepower. A four speed manual transmission is standard and the little car can attain a top speed of 105 km/h. And by little we mean 3.1 meters long by 1.5 meters wide. Small as it may be you can fit 4 people inside - comfortably, we hope.
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It’s a good idea for India, which needs a car that will help to reduce the number of motorcycle accidents by converting those motorcyclists to car drivers. It’s also a good idea for the country as it will help reduce emissions as the Tata Nano is claimed to have half of a motorcycles emissions. But would this idea be just as useful here in the Philippines? There are a lot of things to consider but the biggest and most influential factor is the large second-hand car business in the Philippines. For $2,500 or PHP102,500 at the current exchange rate, you can easily find yourself a 4-door compact car or pickup, that is in good running condition and has an aircon, radio, power-windows, power steering and can comfortably seat 4 adults. The large volume of second-hand cars in the Philippines alone would be a hindrance for sales of the Tata Nano.
It’s a valiant effort for a country in need of an improved mode of transportation for its people. Nissan itself is planning on releasing a similar vehicle priced at around the same mark and will target niche markets in selected countries. But as far as affordability, maintenance, insurance and emissions go, a lot of second-hand cars in the Philippines are a far better choice than buying a brand new Tata Nano - especially the econo-boxes from Japan. Maybe you can’t beat a Tata Nano in fuel-mileage as Tata claims it can reach up to 50mpg, but at only 33hp and a top speed of 105 km/h you won’t be going anywhere fast. Taking a bus on a long-distance journey to your province would be a more comfortable and less stressful experience. But if you were to use the Nano for city driving, why not opt for a small used car at the same price? Or why not just commute? It’s cheaper in the long run and is less damaging to the environment AND you’re reducing the number of cars on our already congested streets.
The Philippines will probably never see a cheap mass produced factory built car like the Tata Nano. Our country will probably never need such a car. But at least India manufactures its own cars and can be proud of their achievement. Now I wonder where our goal of producing and exporting Philippine designed and built cars has gotten to…