Bajaj Auto debuts $3,000 car ahead of Tata
With less than a day to go before Tata unveils its much-hyped $2,500 "people's car," one of the automaker's Indian rivals, Bajaj Auto, has unveiled a vehicle with a similar purpose. The concept, which was designed and built in India, will be produced under the Nissan/Renault/Bajaj alliance and should retail for around $3,000. The budget car's body might be different when it reaches production, but the running gear, steering, brakes and engine is pretty much set in stone. Other versions will be produced in the coming years sporting Nissan and Renault badges with bodywork to match each of those automakers' lineups.While a $500 sticker over Tata's ultra-low cost conveyance isn't much, the bigger hurdle for Bajaj is getting production sorted out. Tata intends to begin production of its vehicle within the next eight months, while Bajaj might have to wait a full two years before its bargain-basement whip hits the streets.
[Source: Economic Times]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
aman 7:08PM (1/09/2008)
and they say the Chinese are cheap. HA!
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VP 7:19PM (1/09/2008)
Nobody said the Chinese are cheap. They are copy cats!!
What exactly is wrong with a cheap car? Not everyone in the world can afford a luxury barge. If it gets its intended job done, more power to them.
aman 7:06PM (1/10/2008)
I dont mean cheap as in inexpensive. I mean cheap as in Quality. the Brilliance B6 had plastic bumpers, for christ's sake. and they also are copycats
joe 7:24PM (1/09/2008)
500 isn't much of a difference to us Americans, but I am sure it is a world of difference to most people in India, where call center workers (which are considered well-payed) make less than 10/day. That's like a 4-5k difference in American buying power.
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Austin 7:30PM (1/09/2008)
talk about a deal!!!!!
that would kill u literaly
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#1CHAMP 7:32PM (1/09/2008)
Question, what happens when that thing cuts in front of my full size pickup and gets plowed?! And the bigger question, will my insurance pay for the funerals or not?
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Brent 7:40PM (1/09/2008)
How often do you drive your full size pickup in India or any other place where this car would pass safety regulations?
Snark 8:23PM (1/09/2008)
See, there's this place called India that's got about a billion people, on the other side of the planet, which is round. India isn't like America; they eat different foods and tend to be Hindu. A lot of those people are fairly poor, though their economy is growing pretty fast. Most of them drive motorbikes right now, but aspire to own a car. This car is supposed to be bought by formerly fairly poor people who are edging into the Indian middle class. Also, you might be astounded to know that the Indians do not share our taste for ludicrously oversized land freighters such as the one you own. They, in fact, don't have any. Most cars there are smaller than a Volkswagen Golf. Does that clear anything up for you?
psarhjinian 11:27PM (1/09/2008)
What happens when your full-size pickup cuts in front of another full-size pickup. Or a semi.
Or you take a turn too fast and roll.
Small does not necessarily mean unsafe. If you need mass to feel safe, you're assuming too much. It's just as easy for you to be hurt or killed in a large car, especially if you trust mass to save you. Up until very recently, several pickup trucks failed crash tests miserably and many continue to have issues in side-, offset and rollover situations.
#1CHAMP 2:33AM (1/10/2008)
Some people are actually worried about safety, others are not. If these cars can pass our IIHS tests, I am all for cheaply priced cars which may get great mileage, but from what I have seen from Tata's, Bajaj's, and Chery's crash testing these cars have no place in the U.S.. Human life is important to me, so I will not be purchasing one of these so called cars. Have a nice day India!
david 11:04AM (1/10/2008)
"Human life is important to me, so I will not be purchasing one of these so called cars. Have a nice day India!"
As if they'd ever offer this in the USA.
Big Rocket 7:33PM (1/09/2008)
There are plenty of poor people in China, India, and elsewhere who can't afford to pay more for a car, new or used. As of the time of this writing, within 50 miles of Detroit, there are over 500 vehicles being offered for sale for less than $3000, according to cars.com. Does that mean Detroiters and Americans in general are cheap? Or does logic and common sense not apply in racial bias?
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Big Rocket 7:34PM (1/09/2008)
To aman @ Jan 9th 2008 7:08PM:
There are plenty of poor people in China, India, and elsewhere who can't afford to pay more for a car, new or used. As of the time of this writing, within 50 miles of Detroit, there are over 500 vehicles being offered for sale for less than $3000, according to cars.com. Does that mean Detroiters and Americans in general are cheap? Or does logic and common sense not apply in racial bias?
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Dirty Harry 8:38PM (1/09/2008)
Most people (especially americans) don't understand the real concept behind such a "car". The target market of both the $2.500 Tata and the $3.000 Bajaj in NOT the typical auto buyer like you and me, but instead the autoricksaw (open motorized 3-wheeler) and maybe motorcycles ones.
Complete families travel daily on these vehicles, so even if the Tata and the Bajaj don't have the "expected" creature conforts and safety regulations, these "cars" are a HUGE leap forward.
Reader 8:56PM (1/09/2008)
The true reason this will never be sold in the states: put 4 Americans in that car and it won't go forward.
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Roger 1:59AM (1/10/2008)
Why does selling in the US matter anymore? India and China (as another example) have easily 4x the population of the US each with economies that are growing faster than the US. There were 6.5 million cars sold in China in 2007, almost half the volume of the US already and gaining. The US is going into a recession.
calebe 7:53AM (1/10/2008)
crap, some of the Americans I have seen at walmart wouldnt even be able to get in it. Face it, all the stereo types of Americans pretty much fit.
Punkcrisis 10:10PM (1/09/2008)
I cant wait to see one of these bombing down the road I think it would be even more priceless then seeing the smart cars and I get a good laugh at one of those flying around, I dont know why but I just do!
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Carlos 11:20PM (1/09/2008)
It's a better family vehicle than a moped!
(Yes, I've been there.)
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psarhjinian 1:10AM (1/10/2008)
As India and China have stated: we'll stop when you do. Now, I'm a card carrying greenie, but I feel it would be very hard to ask China or India to hold the line when North America continues to consume more per capita (and, indeed, more in total) than either nation.
North America needs to set an example to China and India, not dictate from the vantage point of a hundred years of screwing our own environment.
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