A lot has been written about the Tata Nano. The Tata Nano has been criticised on various fronts , and I have decided to put forward these arguments and let you the reader decide after providing an unbiased view of both the sides.

1) Its polluting and inefficient! - You cant expect the crap dished up by any car manufacturer to cost just 2500$ USD and still have it conform to pollution regulations.

Well , wake up and smell the fumes people, Tata has promised and delivered a car that conforms to Euro IV norms. That is more than what most of the cabs and three wheelers spew out despite being converted to CNG. The car certainly isnt polluting. And while on the topic of eco - consciousness, the 20-25 kmpl 'average' is excellent for a four wheeler which is not a hybrid. Tata has had to make do with cost cutting at every corner so I dont think that any sane eco lover can criticise Tata Motors any more.

2) Say Goodbye to moving traffic and hello to omnipresent grid locks.

Hmm, well now this argument does have merit. By Tata's own admission even if 10% of the two wheeler owners were to buy the Nano then it would mean a million more four wheelers on Indian roads. It doesnt take an Einstein to figure out that the changed equation could well be enough to bring an already overburdened road infrastructure to the breaking point. But then you cant blame a car manufacturer for making a really good, cheap car which the people are ready to buy in record numbers. So the blame if any should shift to the Government and their apathy towards public transportation in India rather than the car manufacturer himself.

3) Hey! You promised to be unbiased but so far it seems like Tata Motors paid you to write this post.

I wish dude, but then I would have clearly mentioned that this is a paid advertorial. So lets indulge in some Nano bashing. Seriously a 600cc engine with an aircondition ? Whom are they kidding!? Only first time buyers would be foolish enough to buy a deluxe version of the nano. The already sluggish engine would simply be unable to take the load of 4 adults AND an airconditioning system at the same time. However I loved the fact that the engineers at Tata questioned each and every component for the standard variant and made do with the bare essentials yet , making a car which isnt an apology for a car. As I recall neighbouring Pakistan had come with a 'car' similarly priced which charged customers extra for luxuries such as a roof.

4) What about safety?

Chairman Ratan Tata promises that the car is designed with crash testing and even has crumple zones like modern cars which would protect occupants from crashes. Then again, I dont expect it to get a decent rating at any crash test that is accepted in the developed world. However remember one thing, Tata made this car for families which travelled on two wheelers - 4 at a time. A not so uncommon sight I assure you. So consider then what the family faces from other irate drivers who think that they are slowing down traffic to the weather gods who feel no mercy and the Nano looks like an extremely safe mode of transportation.

5) So why is it the beginning of the end?

Simply because I do not believe that this is the right way to go for India or any other developing nation. Rather than go the way of the US of A or Europe and encourage car buying - the emphasis should be on excellent , comfortable and safe public transportation and a harsh view on car buyers with high taxes. A carrot and stick approach would work best. It would ease the overburdened road infrstructure, save billions in foreign exchange since most of these nations import fuel and also help reduce inflation. The Nano, going by the reception it has got, promises to set new records of sales and this while may bring a smile to shareholders, the long term view is what worries me.

Read the technical details at the official site http://tatapeoplescar.com/tatamotors/