The Tata Nano – A Car for the PNG Masses?
There have been a number of interesting developments that have happened around the world over the past two weeks regarding emerging markets and developing countries, of which of course, PNG is one. It’s slightly amusing when one begins to think of PNG as an ’emerging market’. Obviously, we are not in the same boat as BRIC (Brazil, India and China), but none the less, we are emerging on the crest of a natural resource boom like we have never seen before.
One quite amazing development last week was the commercial launching by Tata Motors of it’s newest car, the Nano – the world’s cheapest car. For approximately US$2000 (5,700 Kina), you can now buy a brand new car. Not bad eh?
The Nano was designed specifically to make car ownership accessible to millions of the world’s poor and is being touted as a possible instigator to revolutionizing the global auto industry.
For those of you who are more technical than others, the Nano is a 33 PS (33 hp/24 kW) car with a 623 cc rear engine and rear wheel drive, and has a fuel economy of 4.55 L/100 km under city road conditions, and 3.85 L/100 km on highways. It also has a top speed of 70 kmph.
The Nano will go on sale in India next month and is expected to sell 1 million units within it’s first year of full production.
Of course, in order to make a car so cheap there are some luxuries you have to do away with – the standard Nano has no power steering, no air conditioning, and no airbags but still passes the safety regulations of a driveable car. Honestly though, when you have a potential market of half the world – who really cares if it has power steering?
More importantly is the fact the Nano will now allow certain families who once thought it was impossible for them to ever own a car, to now do so.
So how about it – the Nano in PNG?
The Garamut 
Good post T!
But in PNG before you talk about affording cars you have to first consider if our existing roads are even passable. I recall a friend from the highlands telling me that Japanese vehicles are meant for carrying people but sadly in his area the people carry the vehicles – as roads are so impassable.
Another phenomenon in POM that I’ve noticed over the years is that there are numerous car dealers mushrooming every where in the city and if you happen to drive or walk by the PNG Ports office at Fairfax harbour you can notice hundreds of brand new and Japanese second hand vehicles coming in every month. And as the number of vehicles are increasing monthly in the city, there is hardly any change in our congested traffic. There’s only one road to go from point A to B and with the anticipated LNG facility development and all the accompanying activity I can’t imagine how congested our roads in the city would be. Public commuters have already started waking up as early as 4am/5am to catch a PMV bus to work.
You know our government has also been talking about establishing a car factory in Wewak for the Philippine jeepneys which had passed its time and liking in the Phillipines. I wonder how feasible and road worthy those vehicles would be on our rugged dirt roads.
The thing with India is that they’re slowly upgrading their road system, so a car such as the Nano would be ideal over there. Whereas in PNG, cost-wise yes, purpose yes, road system? – NO.
I can’t really see the Nano being used anywhere outside of the urban centres in PNG. How in the world will the Nano make the Madang Highway? Em bai nogat tru!
BUT – what a deal. PGK 5000 is sweet…too bad we don’t have the roads.