Autoblog

Half of America's young willing to try Chinese cars, 41% would consider Indian [w/poll]

Jeff Glucker — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:01:00 EST

Foreign manufacturers have had a strong presence in the United States' new car market for decades now. Germany, Japan and Korea produce vehicles that many consumers find as appealing as our domestic offerings, if not more so. Those countries have had lots of time to win favor among American consumers, while other countries have yet to make a dent on our car-buying radar. That could change more quickly than one might think, however, as a new study by GfK Automotive shows that younger car shoppers are willing to explore cars made in countries other than the ones previously mentioned.

According to GfK, only 38 percent of U.S. car shoppers are open to a Chinese brand. That figure drops to 30 percent for a vehicle from an Indian manufacturer. However, looking at younger consumers, 52 percent of Gen Y car shoppers say they would be willing to take a look at a Chinese automobile, and 41 percent would consider an Indian-made vehicle. Conversely, America's Baby Boomers are less likely to give a chance to vehicle made in India or China, with 22 and 29 percent (respectively) giving those countries a thumbs up.

Still, those are more promising figures for Chinese and Indian automakers than we might've expected. Built and priced correctly and given the right marketing, China and India could have a waiting group of shoppers ready to take a chance on a new face in America's car park. Click past the jump to read the full press release and let us know if you think you'd be ready to go Chinese or Indian in our poll below.

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Continue reading Half of America's young willing to try Chinese cars, 41% would consider Indian [w/poll]

Half of America's young willing to try Chinese cars, 41% would consider Indian [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Secondhand Tata Nano models commanding 30% markup as India's elite grabs on to new trend

Chris Shunk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: India, Tata

Tata Nano - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Tata Nano continues to take India by storm, and residents of the world's second most populous country appear to have gone over the deep end in an effort to secure their own personal "people's car." Australian website Drive is reporting that car buyers are paying a markup of up to 30% to purchase secondhand Nanos from the initial batch of buyers. The pent-up demand for the Nano stems in part from the fact that far more people signed up to purchase the econobox than Tata Motors has the factory capacity to build. To distribute the initial Nano allotment fairly, Tata instituted a lottery system to choose the first 100,000 customers eligible to buy the $2,500 city car.

One would think that the source of this heavy demand comes from families looking to secure a still inexpensive car, but a Mumbai car salesman seems to think it has more to do with an odd "fetish" for the car. Arif Fazulbhoy reportedly told Drive that the wealthy of India are paying over sticker to get their hands on the Nano because it has become a hot and trendy status symbol, adding "They tend to be very rich people who want the Nano for the snob value because it's new in the market." The Nano model fetching the highest premium on the open market is the XL, which has features like air conditioning and central locking.

While it's too bad that the "people's car" is being picked up mainly by India's elite, at least the lower middle class is reaping the profits from the quirky little vehicle's healthy demand. There will likely be more opportunity to profit from the Nano over the next couple years as well, as the initial allotment of 100,000 units could take until the end of 2010 to get delivered - and there are over 200,000 customers waiting in the queue.

Gallery: Tata Nano

[Source: Drive]

REPORT: Secondhand Tata Nano models commanding 30% markup as India's elite grabs on to new trend originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Tata selects first 100,000 Nano buyers from lotto

Chris Shunk — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:33:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Plants/Manufacturing, Tata

Tata Nano - Click above for a high-res image gallery

Interest in the world's most affordable new car has been very strong, as Tata Motors reportedly received 206,000 applications for the $2,500 Nano. Due to production constraints, Tata ran a lottery to determine which of the applicants would receive one of the first 100,000 Nanos, and the Indian automaker is informing the "winners" in person.

The first 100,000 customers eligible to receive a Nano will get their car by the end of 2010, with deliveries beginning in July. The first allotment of 100,000 Nanos will be price protected to remain consistent with Tata's press release in March. Of the 106,000 Tata customers left out in the cold (for now) 51,000 chose not to keep their names in contention for future Nano lotteries. Those customers will be offered discounts on other Tata products.

The remaining 55,000 customers that are still in contention for future Nano lotteries are also being offered discounts. Since Tata collected a "booking fee" for the right to enter the lottery, that money will collect 8.5% interest if the Nano is delivered withing two years, and 8.75% if it takes longer than two years.

Gallery: Tata Nano

[Source: Telegraph India]

REPORT: Tata selects first 100,000 Nano buyers from lotto originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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