Tata Nano’s ultra cheap alternative – car for Rs. 11,000!
Tata Nano made it to headlines with an apt catchyline “A promise is a promise”.
Now Mr. Ratan Tata needs to to revisit the made promise, as he might face a stiff competition from 5 kids.
Well, 5 students from Ahmedabad have built a car just for Rs. 11,000, i.e. 1/10th of Nano’s cost – a “ready-to-drive” four-wheeler out of unusable scrap material.
“The rear window of the car has been sourced from a Fiat 1965 model. A Kinetic scooter’s and TVS Scooty’s tyres make up the wheels of the car. The petrol tank is an unusable old geyser from a neighbour’s home, which has been connected to a gutter pipe and stuck with strong adhesive.
The tank has a 3-4 litre capacity. A 125cc Honda engine ripped off from a Kinetic scooter is the vehicle’s engine. In fact, other than a hydraulic brake, every other component of the car is scrap material.” – source
Though the car doesn’t have any commercial viability, but to me, these are the milestones in “Technology Leadership“, that India talks of.
Whats your take?
On Similar Lines: LPG kit for 2-wheelers
I think India always has been innovative as far as low-cost , no-business-model kinda products are concerned.
Unless we find a way to market these products and take them on an international level, such innovative products will see the light of the day, only but briefly.
Great stuff .. to me this is an “october sky” moment … i don’t care about commercial viability etc … what I am amazed at is that they did it !!
@Prateek : No doubt about that !!! Kudos to them !!! Hats off !!! Full marks for technological innovation.
So, if I add 2 more wheels to a second hand moped can I make a car cheaper than the Nano?
BTW.. can’t help but bring the Pakistani Nano to the notice.. Sitara .. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/India_Business/Sitara_Paks_car_which_beat_India/articleshow/2691073.cms which Pakistanis developed way back in 2004.. I guess anything on 4 wheels can’t be called a car.. maybe a golf cart.
Rishi – you are one of those Indians who will bring down any innovative things that might ever come out of India. Maybe you should have read the post in detail – these guys build the entire car out of unusable scrap material!
The current venture may not have great commercial sense, but definitely these are the guys to look out for (and not all the stupid web2.0 indian startups)
“and not all the stupid web2.0 indian startups”.. hmmm.. anyways.. you get me wrong, all I’m trying to say is that, there have been attempts to make such contraptions.. in the past.. and will always be there in the future.. I remember few years back some DCE chaps making a racing car.. for about 25 grands.. but probably you did not think about it for a day at that time.. (so much for the media making us think whats hot and whats not).. we need innovations.. but not this kinds.. we need innovation that sells.. like the interest thats created by the Nano.. (which is an Indian innovation, last time I heard). Something you can judge based on facts.. IBM creates the most number of patents (read innovations) in the world.. but which company makes the most amount of money from it’s innovations… Starbucks.. surprised? .. So don’t make a moped with four wheels.. go make a friggin Nano.. otherwise don’t do it.
“you are one of those Indians who will bring down any innovative things that might ever come out of India”
Isn’t a (constructive) critic perhaps more useful than a fanboy ?
Rishi – while we are quoting companies, fyi – google had no commercial viability for the first 5 years of its existence
Rishi, Funny Post!
Well i agree that there is a little financial viability out of this idea in its current form . this is a very crude prototype but one can always learn from this and make something on top of it . it might take longer than what most of us want but still there is a potential .
I agree with Pratham that constructive criticism is better than fanboy only thing is that it should not be having a undertone of sarcasm . but hey isn’t it a little hard to tell on internet ?
I’m impressed by the students enthusiasm
we do this kinda contraptions a lot in our college and friends colleges so nothing technically spectacular. but we have to commend the involvement and hardwork of those kids. these things bring some hope to India’s future.