It is a question everybody asks Ratan Tata, as Time magazine does in its June 26 issue: when will his dream of a "$ 2,200, four-door, rear-engine" one lakh rupee car attain fruition? It is a question everybody asks Jagadish Khattar: will Tatas' one lakh rupee car affect Maruti? And it is a question that is in every auto magazine's pages and on every auto analyst's lips.
But, here are questions no one wants to ask: does India really require such a car, which Ratan Tata wants to sell one million of in the first year, 2008? What will it do to our already crowded and overflowing roads and streets? What will it do to our energy requirements? How good can a one lakh rupee car be when a good bike costs Rs 60,000? Can it really be safe? Do the Tatas, who have otherwise shown such care and concern in their corporate strategy and philosophy, abandoned it all for a few dollars more?
churumuri 
Its a question well worth asking. Do we have the infrastrucure to support it? Even if we did, do we have the driving discipline to support it? Will the police be able to control it?
As it is, the emergence of “affordable” two wheelers have made life on the streets unbearable. Now we’ll have the same guys driving four wheelers like they drive motocycles. I live on a street (in a “quiet” residential neighbourhood) where we live in constant fear of speeding motorcycles, Taxis (mostly Indicas) and BPO gaadis (mostly Sumos). Our children cant even cross the street without supervision. So please lets not put more vehicles on the road.
The Tatas, the Hero Hondas and all other players do not have any social responsibility. All they want is volumes and more volumes. Just a bunch of people blogging will not stop them.
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say Ta Ta to 1 lakh cars…
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@Vijay (times)
what are you talking about Social responsibility. take care of your children on road.
these one lakh cars will depreciate in one year. Just like those STAR motorcycles. Govt has to strengthen the FC procedure. Put drivers of crap cars behind bars for 10 years
(‘When population increases God sends Tsunami, Earthquakes to get rid of some of us’ theory)
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So you mean to say that Cars should be priced high so that only few (rich?) should buy the car and because of which traffic overflow will be reduced!!!
Few years before people who dint had cars went for small cars (of Maruti 800 and others). Now the same people are going for biggers cars (anfd other 4-wheelers). And those who donot have 4-wheelers are going for smaller versions first and then too go for bigger versiona later on.
And just because price is low, does that mean quality is also low. May be Tata’s are coming up with good quality/low-price versions.
So what is your stand on bigger vehicles (4-wheelers) which occupy lot of space.
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Hey Avinash,
heard Durex is launching low cost condoms! wanna try? maybe it’s of good quality.
till which page of communist manifesto have u read?
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Anthrax,
So you are into selling low cost condoms!!!
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Anthrax,
Just writing such replies wont prove your point. Put forth your points properly.
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Blame Tata for Government’s ills. If the govt cannot be enough roads, pedestrian crossings, etc why to blame the car manufacturer for it?
And I believe Tata’s 1-lakh car will make the roads MORE SAFER. A lot of people will be off the more dangerous two-wheelers (riding mostly without helmets). Go Tata, Go.
And about how safe and good a 1-lakh car can be? Henry Ford would have had a similar question asked to him. Just wait and see.
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A good question to ask is whose duty is to protect our streets and our atmosphere. The government’s? The auto maker’s? Ours? I suspect the answer is all three. The Narayana Murthy argument that just because we pay road taxes and life time taxes, the government is duty-bound to build with all situations in mind is bogus. Likewise, merely because an auto maker, by unleashing so many cars or bikes, thus feeding the government’s coffers, is also bogus. And at the same time, the government cannot ask either the auto makers or us not to make or buy automotive vehicles because the truth is we need them. But how many and of what kind? It is a surprise that there is no talk of hybrid cars in India, there are no movements to popularise motorcycle or bicycle riding, no proposals for congestion tax—the kind of steps that the west has taken to free up crowded city centres and to ease the burden. Indeed, the manner in which the electric car Reva has been priced out of everybody’s reach is a pointer that neither the government nor the consumer is interested in making such fuel-efficient, non-polluting city cars popular. I suppose it is too early, but it may be too late when we come to it.
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Atleast with the introduction of so many new cars on the roads, even in the rural areas, our “poor” farmers will understand the need for expressways. But then, HDDG might ask HDKS to ban these cars because of competition to bullock carts and once again emerge as the champion of farmers rights!
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take it cool..avi…blogs are meant to be like that. just smile:-) put forth points with a pinch of salt…swalpa spicy..swalpa sihi
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A serious issue raised regarding Tata’s one lakh car has been treated more as a joke. This is sad. When we take the trouble to browse and compose replies, sometimes it may be all right to be frivolous with our comments. But do we have to be so all the time?
One lakh car will have major impact on our petrol consumption which may affect energy security as well as national security in the long run. It can also create traffic jam. It may create problem to promote public transporation. As some have stated, there is also a question of equity. Why should only the rich be allowed to have the luxury of owning cars? Why cannot the middle also have the same luxury? How do we take into consideration all these conflicting factors? Or should it be left to the dictat of free market as seem to be happening any way.
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A friend was standing at Cool Joint in Jayanagar, Bangalore, two evenings ago, eating a dosa with his other friend. Casual conversation was underway, when out of nowhere a jeep swerved at the turning, hit him and ran. The jeep was trying to beat the signal because he lacked the patience to last another long one. The friend has head injuries from having fallen on his face, deep cuts, had to undergo surgery and is recuperating in Narayana Hrudayalaya.
Last week, on the BTM Layout 100 ft Road in Bangalore, at the 16th Main signal, a matador van showed the same impatience and hit and run, leaving a man on a Honda Activa bleeding profusely, narrowly escaping being squashed by an oncoming bus.
We are witness to countless such incidents happening every day, even as the roads are becoming unsafe for pedestrians to walk and talk. Every inch of the road is taken up by vehicles ranging from hand carts to the Apaches to the Innova to the rumbling lorry…the bylanes are no longer safe for children to go out and play lagori or ais pais.
Yes, it is the government’s responsibility to make our roads safer and the air cleaner. It is our responsilbity to understand that only good public transport is the best solution. Unless excellent public transport facilities are not introduced, which should want to make the likes of Narayana Murthy to leave their cars at home, there is no hope for the bursting roads of our cities. Can we put pressure on our governments to give us well connected and timely transport? Can we take the responsibility to maintain them as citizens? Will Narayana Murthy want to leave his car at home to travel by bus?
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yella ‘OK’ yee Murthy ‘Sowcarru’ CAR bidhodhu(maneyalli) yaake .
Road rage is prevails everywhere irrespective whether in Congested roads in india or elsewhere . In western cities. Roads may be wider but it has equal number of vehicles plying on the road .People everywhere has to cut down on car buying and government has to ensure effective public road transport.
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Bhamy sir/madam (I dont know):
let’s be serious guys (wear a mask while reading churumuri). No sihi. No spicy. okay.
you mentioned about petroleum shortage, traffic jam in T Narsipur, High level of lead in Deve Gowda’s neighbour’s grandson’s blood etcetra etcetra.
Let’s keep blogs cool
Hydregon is coming to solve your problems. Honda is working on it. 5 years ago Rs.5000 bikes were expected to arrive from China. But Indian two wheeler cos did well. Mysores will become Bangalore. Hunsurs will become Mysores and B R Hills will become Saraswathipuram park. If you want to stop this spiraling effect. Stop blogging…..plant few trees…. murder two or three who own polluting vehicles on road and cool heels behind bars.
BIG PROBLEMS HAVE BIGGER SOLUTIONS!!
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Accidents were there in 2nd century BC as well.
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I think people should watch this documentary: “Who killed the Electric Car?”
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Ethanol Fuel Based Cars are being designed by General Motors .
And yes Hydrogen .Mercedes /BMW and Honda are doing Pioneer work in this . Already the Saudi Oil minister is concerned and in recent OPEC meeting he mentioned of the new challenges that the oil countries would face once Hydrogen becomes a normal fuel.
However storing and safety proceedures in hydrogen based fuel is more
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This is a very good news. At last somebody thought a way for control of population, method may be different
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Go TATA Go, We he Sales Executive who works in sun lite need your car.
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1 lakh car from Tata, It’s disaster waiting to happen in india. I am ashamed that a company like tata can’t measure the pros & cons of having a petrol powered vehicle. Just imagine the huge amount of money we can save (on petro dollars to Arab nations), prevent further pollution & invest in our own country if we could create a car using ethanol or any other locally available resource. It’s not impossible, Brazil has done it. Even a electric car would have been better. God help this nation.
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it will not have pickup. Bullock carts will be better. I’d prefer 1970 premier Padmini to this!
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There are so many people here saying this is a disaster, many of them may be owning big cars which which pollute many times more then this car will. If they are so consious of Environment and Petro dollors, they should first sell their cars and buy horses or tongas.
Yes I also own a car, but I use public transport 95% of times. Everyone dreams of having a car, TATAs are going to fulfill these dreams for millions of people.
It is a minority, which feels it is their exlusive right to own and use cars which is feeling threatend by this car. Come on people, be supportive of company which is thing about millions of us. Stop preavhing and be practical. Do something which helps the environment (other then just writing comments).
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Green thinker, which car you own?????
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Talking about alternate fuel, I read somewhere tat TATAs are working on a car with Compressed air as fuel. Please check the followng link.
http://www.dancewithshadows.com/autoindia/tata-mdi-compressed-air-car.asp
But such technologies take long time to develop and refine. Till then we have to depend on the fossil fuel.
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Trust only in TATA to who will destroy India for its own profit, while succesfully fooling the entire population into believing that they are the “saviours” and “pride” of India.
We know of jamshedji tata as a hero. Well we dont know that he sucked up to the british and took over the tribal lands in Jamshedpur to do Mining.
Here is full rapsheet of what the tata have done and are doing.
Right now TATA is lobbying for the govt to drop charges on the DOW company(Bhopal Gas tragedy) in return for Investment opportunities.
http://www.bhopal.net/tata_rapsheet.html
PLEASE visit the above link before you argue with my comment or for TATA.
I guarantee you that it will CHANGE THE FACE OF TRUTH AS YOU KNOW IT.
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