Nano Vs Maruti 800. Who will win the race? Read on…

Will Tata `Nano’ over take Maruti’s 800? The question is doing its rounds ever since Ratan Tata announced his dream project to develop a Rs 1 lakh car. Many have responded to the question in terms of Maruti’s proven track record and the higher degree of comforts anticipated in the wonder car-Nano. The debate continues and the choice is now left with the users to make a final verdict on Nano. But will the Nano be able to beat the pride of the Indian middle class that rejected many a products that tried to bet big on the price tag?
It is true that Tata Nano has made it big until now and people are eagerly waiting to see the car on the roads. But will the majority of Indian middle class prefer to have a Nano, which is being positioned as a cheap and best car? Only time can answer the question. Remember what happed to a ` …Tough’ jeans brand that tried to woo the youth with its juicy price. Despite heavy advertisement and the `worth for price’ quality denim and a Bollywood action hero as the brand ambassador, the Rs 299 jeans failed to make inroads in the market. Not because it was low in quality, but because of the over publicized price range.
Even while the world is humming the `Nano’ song, right now because of the noble idea behind the revolutionary step, it will be not easy a task for Nano to poach the customer base of Maruti 800 that still prefer to position itself as a SMALL CAR. If price was the main criteria for selecting a car, Maruti Swift would not have become the hottest selling car in Indian market. Of course, Nano is not a match for Swift. But there is some strong relation between the middle class’ pride (or false pride) and Swift.
Nay,…this is not a Nano bashing article. The author is just trying to look at the other side of the Nano hype. See the aversion some people show towards the car when they lament over what will happen to the parking space and city traffic, once the car hit the Indian roads. Perhaps, the arrival of Nano would force the authorities to make a visionary approach towards road development. Let’s hope….
Better be more optimistic and try to find out where all Maruti and Nano score over each other? If look and style are to be considered as the prime criteria, Maruti 800 is no where near the cute Nano. Gone by the series of attempts, Maruthi has not been able to make a face lift to the boxy look of Maruti 800.
Maruti 800 comes in two variants, while Nano will be of course available in three variants. Maruti 800 is the king in the small car segment. It sells an average of 4000 to 5000 cars /month. Maruti’s starting price is about Rs 1.92-2.03 lakh and for Nano it could be anywhere between Rs 1.3 lakh on road to Rs 1.9 lakh.
The Nano is 3100 mm in length, 8 per cent shorter than the Maruti 800. However, the breadth and height of the car got a different story to tell. Nano is 4 per cent wider and 14 percent taller than Maruti 800. The Tatas also claim the car is 21per cent bigger than an 800 when it comes to inside space.
When it comes to small cars, fuel efficiency matters big than any thing else. On a decent drive Maruti 800 offers 20 km/litre . It’s proven. According to Tata, `Nano’ would be more fuel efficient than any other cars, ie, Maruti 800. On ideal conditions, the car would offer 23 Km/ litre. But it still in talk, only time could prove how fuel efficient the car will be.
According to auto experts, Nano may also yield fuel efficiency similar to that of Maruti 800. But chances are less that the car out beat Maruti 800 in terms of mileage. While Maruti 800 runs on a 3-cylinder 796 cc engine, Nano runs on a 623 cc 2- cylinder engine. Commonsense tend to believe that a Nano drive won’t be as smooth as an 800 drive. The 800 churns out 37 BHP, while the Nano tops at 33 BHP, at 11per cent less power.
If test drive results are to be believed, Nano can stretch up to 106 km speed per hour. However, when pushed, Maruti 800 can hit 120 kph.
Service and maintenance would be one of the biggest challenges for Nano, especially when it is pitted against Maruti 800 that has a proven track record of low maintenance cost and cheaper accessories.
The maintenance cost for Maruti 800 is about Rs 300-400 per month. However for Nano, the numbers are yet not known but it could be around the same if not less and it in fact could even go up higher because the service module for this car is still unknown.
However, State-owned non-life insurance company National Insurance, which tied up with Tata Motors two months ago, expects the comprehensive insurance premium for the auto major's small car Nano to be around Rs.3,000-Rs.4,000 a year initially. For Maruti 800, the comprehensive insurance premium comes around Rs 5,500 to Rs 6000.
According to astrological pundits, the numerological total of the name The Nano is 32 = 5. Number 3 is ruled by Jupiter and 2 is ruled by positive Moon. In Astrology, whenever Jupiter conjuncts Moon, it is called 'Gaj Kesri Yog' . The Nano is surely going to have a good start However, going deep down into the total of 32, we get Number 5 ruled by Mercury. 5 indicate instability. So, this car may have some bugs.
Numerological total of Maruti 800 as per Chaldean Numerology is 8, ruled by Saturn. Powerful Saturn's influence indicates strong business instinct and leads the business to success. Maruti has endured because of strong influence of Number 8 in it's name, says pundits.