Many Tata Nanos to be used as taxi cabs?
2010 Tata Nano Standard Version - Click above for a high-res gallery
India currently has just under 1.2 billion residents. Moreover, its population is set to overtake China any monsoon now. As India's economy continues to grow (currently the world's 12th largest) all those people now have places to go. We've all seen crazy pictures of fantastically overloaded Indian trains and buses with people hanging out of windows, but not only is that very dangerous, if you have a business meeting the last thing you want to do is sit on a dirty old roof with three dozen of your closest friends. Indians need taxis. Trouble is, cabs (and cars in general) are expensive to buy and poverty is still rampant. Enter the Tata Nano.
That's right, the world's cheapest new car is being eyeballed and ordered by many Indian entrepreneurs looking to start their very own cab company. Yes, Nanos are small and would make very lousy cabs in NYC or London. But to a person that's never owned a car before, it's (sorta) Versailles on wheels. And as the Nano is a no-frills, few features product, there's very little to break, so what does get broke will be cheap and easy to fix. In the biz, that's called "win-win." Besides all that, we're thinking that hundreds of thousands of Nanos darting all over Mumbai would be cute. Sort of like Rome in the 1950s.
Gallery: Tata Nano
[Source: Autocar]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mikea 4:57PM (7/27/2009)
The features at the top of the page in the new "autoblog 4.0" SUCKS. I hid it but then when I come back it's there again. If it has to be there, it should at least remember preferences when you hide it. I want to see the NEWEST news, not the same stupid features again and again - annoying. You should push them off to the side. The site is definitely not improving... Tried to submit this through the "Send us a tip!" link at the top of the site, but that didn't work either.... Bring back 3.0, I say.
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dukeisduke 5:05PM (7/27/2009)
It's just a minor cosmetic facelift. The posting engine still sucks.
phooky 5:11PM (7/27/2009)
I love the new Autoblog, I just wish that top thing would remember to stay closed!!!
gearhead18 4:57PM (7/27/2009)
I could see it, from the look of that interior shot there is enough room for 1 person + gear of 2 people with some carry on sized stuff. Nothing too fancy just a way to get around, it's like they are building there business plan around the car's plan.
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JRM 6:20PM (7/27/2009)
Also remember that the people utilizing this car for transportation will probably not weigh the avg 200-230lbs with a beer-gut like citizens in the US.
I remember in the 1970's my father used to fit 6-7 people in his VW Beetle (luggage on the roof), and the Nano isn't much different in size. so it's doable--especially for people who aren't used to being all pampered and comfortable.
Farmboy 5:01PM (7/27/2009)
Would make sense to do so, especially if passengers do not carry much cargo. The profits would be incredible.
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ale 5:01PM (7/27/2009)
actually, this might be actually be pretty sweet, a step up from rickshaws...
think of the advertisement
now, dont worry about that mid-morning and afternoon shower no more, feel confidence and security in a closed top automotive experience.
Stay with the elements, but dont let the elements stay with you...
Tata Nano...
now on the streets of Mumbai. Coming soon to Kolkata.
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pavan.ps3 5:05PM (7/27/2009)
Damn with the economy in US collapsing, illegal immigration, un checked rise in population, india doesnt seem so bad at all. I can see myself drive a NaNo...Ta Ta ...
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nastinupe 6:35PM (7/27/2009)
You could probably pay for the car within a couple of months. After that, all you're paying for is the gas. What a great deal! Even if you only made $30 a day, that's $900 a month, which is a lot more than most Indians make.
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Shiftright 5:25PM (7/27/2009)
I'll tell you what is Versailles in wheels, a Malaise era '78 Lincoln Versailles on a Fox platform. That's Versailles on wheels.
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joe23521 5:44PM (7/27/2009)
I still don't understand all the hype surrounding this car...
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Art 5:45PM (7/27/2009)
so being that the nano is about the size of a purse doesn't it make more sense to own a fleet of less larger cars than more golf carts?
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DJ 5:59PM (7/27/2009)
If they can command just a small percentage of the cab fares in New York, Chicago or DC, they can have thing paid for in three weeks.
NY cab fares:
Opening the door to get in = $12.00
Sitting at a stop of the 14th turn of the light = $34.00
Opening the door to get out = $19.00
Getting a driver that knows his way around the city = PRICELESS
For all other transportation, there's the subway.
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P.V. 6:23PM (7/27/2009)
That's a great idea, because the auto-rickshaws on the road today are less than ideal for transporting multiple people and the 1st-generation TATA Indicabs (that was the cab/fleet version of the Indica) are downright bad.
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Kaveh 8:53PM (7/27/2009)
No suprise, there are countries that still use the orignal Beetle as taxis. Oh, the smell of a taxi in India
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Aloysius Vampa 10:01PM (7/27/2009)
What's the big deal? I'd ride in that.
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Richard S. 11:44PM (7/27/2009)
What is the Tata Nano crashworthiness when a bad taxi driver with a full-load of passengers and cargo hits a cow in the middle of the road?
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cmonkey 1:36AM (7/28/2009)
Better than the crashworthiness of a rickshaw or scooter.
MONTE 1:00AM (7/28/2009)
It is small, but they'll be able to fit a dozen people in one no problem.
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Avinash machado 3:01AM (7/28/2009)
Might be quite suitable for Mexico city too.
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