Bottom's Up!

" Think small" ~ Volkswagen Beetle ad campaign

Yesterday was a red letter day in India's motoring history. At the Delhi Auto Expo, Ratan Tata unveiled what is being touted as the world's cheapest car. Though the price of the car makes it very affordable to the ever burgeoning middle class, but what will make people buy the car is the trusted name of the Tatas behind its engineering. Also Vijay Mallya's 'Force India' team confirmed the very experienced Giancarlo Fisichella as its first driver.

Coming to Tata Motors' Rs. One lakh car; the Tata Nano. The car promises to change the way the average Indian family travels around in the towns and cities. I personally did not find the design of the car very tasteful. It would be interesting to watch how the car will be received when it hits the road later this year. It will definitely shake up the two wheeler market. And with Bajaj Auto unveiling its concept car at the Delhi Auto Expo, the competition for the fortune at the so-called bottom of the pyramid in the automobile industry is going to heat up in the years to come. What could be the immediate fall-out? For one Maruti-Suzuki's iconic 800 may well be headed for extinction. The fact that the Nano has not compromised on safety and emission norms will go a long way in establishing it as the people's car. But there are fears that if the car is indeed a runaway hit, then our roads will be more clogged then ever before. The car could also be used for public transport in a city like Bombay.

It will be a good transition from the rickety and even dangerous auto-rickshaws that ply in the suburbs. Any Mumbaikar will tell you what a nuisance auto-rickshaw drivers can be. And the autos pollute the most on the city's roads. But will the mass car lose its appeal if it is commissioned into public transport? We can't really say. Many people owned the Premier Padminis while at the same time most of the cabs in the city are those Padminis. But that was a different era. We lived in a less aspirational society then. It would be interesting to watch if such a move does take place. There have been many committees formed that bayed for the rickety ricks' blood.

But many believe that Tata Motors have scripted history. The Nano is already being compared to the Ford Model T and the 'Think Small' bug. It will change the face of Indian motoring for sure. It has already created a new class with its launch and other car companies will sure follow to have a footprint there.

Coming to Force India... Well, I can only say, all the best. With all the criticism being thrown at the team for having nothing Indian other than the name, which I believe is insulting for the country to have a team that will remain at the back of the field for at least some years. the name could have been something less patriotic. But I am happy that they have signed the ageing Fisichella for this season. He will bring a lot of expertise and experience and will contribute well to make the team a serious contender that it plans to be in few years. I would hate to watch the saffron-green insignia playing catch-up with the Ferrari or McLaren slipstreams. What I am looking forward to is an Indian Grand Prix... Ecclestone knows the kind of following the sport has in India which was evident from the TRPs that F1 races got in 2005 when Narain Karthikeyan took field for Jordan. Hope we build a world-class race track that will bring not only F1 but also Moto-GP to the country.

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