|
Tata Motors' plans would produce, in real terms,
by far the cheapest car ever made.
An Indian car may soon earn a parking place
in history alongside Ford's Model T, Volkswagen's
Beetle and the British Motor Corp.'s Mini, all
of which put a set of wheels within reach of
millions of customers after they rolled onto
the scene. Tata Motors (nyse: TTM - news - people
) is developing a car it aims to sell for about
$2,500 the cheapest, by far, ever made.
There is a lot riding on its small wheels.
If the yet-to-be-named car is a success when
it goes on sale next year, it would herald the
emergence of Tata Motors on the global auto
scene, mark the advent of India as a global
center for small-car production and represent
a victory for those who advocate making cheap
goods for potential customers at the "bottom
of the pyramid" in emerging markets. Most
of all, it would give millions of people now
relegated to lesser means of transportation
the chance to drive cars.
It is a hugely ambitious project rivals have
called it impossible for any company. But it
is audacious for one that hadn't even built
cars a decade ago.
For decades Tata Motors has been India's largest
commercial vehicle maker the Tata logo appears
on buses, dump trucks, ambulances and cement
mixers. Sturdy as elephants, they are a fixture
of the Indian landscape. Owners inevitably paint
the exteriors in a cheerful riot of bright red,
green, orange, blue and yellow and line the
un-air-conditioned cabs with teakwood to keep
them cooler in India's searing heat.
|
The
New Skoda Fabia is here. And it's designed specifically
to make your life special. Experience India's
first super hatch. Drive it once. Feel special
forever.
