Nanos find their way into the used car market

Cheap and cheerful no longer seems to satisfy many people who have bought the Nano. Its been just a year since the Nano was launched and already it has found its way into the used car market. Three reasons is what our source has mentioned – Lack of driving comfort (not really..its good enough for the city), status is low (driving a Nano makes you a star!) and some are buying the car to sell it at a much higher price and earn some bucks (valid). The LX model of Nano purchased for Rs. 1.81 lakh is being sold in the second hand car market at Rs. 2.05 lakh, as claimed. Another valid reason is the fire/ short-circuit problem that has cropped up.

Recently, there was a competition to design a symbol for the rupee and we feel that the outline of the Nano should become the symbol of the rupee.

According to The Times of India, the fires appear to be the result of an electrical short in the car’s steering column. However, the company spokesperson denied any concrete defect in Nano. In an emailed statement last year, the spokesperson said, “Apparently there seems to be a minor short-circuit in the combination switch area. We had access to the car in Ahmedabad and Lucknow, with the respective customers bringing the cars to our dealerships. Importantly, both the cars were driven to our dealerships. These two cars had some minor smoking – not fire — and a localised melting of some of the fire-retardant plastic parts. The Delhi customer has not yet brought his car, so we are unable to comment. The Ahmedabad car, which reported the matter in September, has been repaired and it was a minor fix. Similarly, the Lucknow car, which reported the matter on October 20, also has been repaired with a minor fix and has been handed over to the customer on October 21. The Delhi customer too reported the matter on October 20, but has not yet brought the car to the dealership.

No recall is being considered. We do not believe that this is generic and we are not considering any recall. However, a pre-emptive check may be carried out on cars that are to be handed over or those that are with customers, purely as a precautionary measure.” He also stated, “To date no injuries have occurred as a result of the defect with all three cases happening when the ignition switch was in the ‘off’ position.

The Nano is an engineering marvel and every time I see one, I respect Ratan Tata for what he has done. Once the mass production starts at the Sanand plant, I’m pretty sure that the car will do what the 800 did decades ago but with a difference. The Nano is a car for the masses. Ultimately, a family travelling in a Nano (even the base model) will feel delighted compared to riding under the hot sun on a 2-wheeler. I have seen and been and driven the car several times and as far as I can see, there are no major faults. It accomplishes its duty in a perfect manner and more importantly it has a soul. One might argue on the absence of a back door and the odd location of the fuel filler but these are small niggles that everybody can live with. It does what it was intended to do, in the best possible way and for that reason, it is one of the best engineering marvels of this century.

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