No Nano for Bangladesh until 2011
Monday, 23 March 2009
Mushir Ahmed
The emerging middle class in Bangladesh may have to wait two-three years to drive the world's cheapest car as its makers Tata at the moment is not interested to market Nano outside India.
The Rs100,000 car will be launched by Tata Motors in Mumbai today, ushering in a new era in auto business and igniting hopes for millions of people who have never dreamt of sitting behind wheels.
But Nitol Motors, Tata's sales agent across the border, said Sunday Bangladeshis will have to wait at least until 2011 to have a chance to drive the jelly-bean shaped car.
"Nitol chairman has gone to Mumbai to attend Nano's historic inauguration. He is obviously talk about Nano's import to Bangladesh," Abdul Mannan Ahmad, executive director of Nitol Motors, said.
Ahmad said the Nano could be priced between Tk200,000 and Tk300,000 in Bangladesh market depending on the tax rates and the rupees' strength against Taka.
That price tag would make it the cheapest new car by miles in Bangladesh, with company chairman Ratan Tata predicting that mid-income people in the subcontinent who drive bikes would now switch to four-door Nano.
Ahmad, however, is skeptical whether Nano would blaze through Bangladesh market.
"Very often price is not the only determining factor for the popularity of a car in a market. In Vietnam people love bikes, most Pakistanis drive Mazda and in Bangladesh Toyota is the most sought-after car despite it's pricey," he said.
"Bangladeshis have different taste and preference as far as car ownership is concerned. Some of them save for years to buy a second-hand Toyota," he said.
Nitol Motors sells some 2500 Tata's trucks and buses in Bangladesh a year and it also sold a few thousands Tata taxi-cabs some eight years back.
Ahmad said Nitol would conduct a study on Nano's viability in Bangladesh market before it orders the car's import in the country.
"A study would be essential because we don't know the market dynamics for such type of car," he said, adding despite it's relatively cheap Maruti could not win Bangladeshis' hearts.
"In all likelyhood, we can see a niche market for Nano in Bangladesh. But we have to have a number of sales and service centers before we start selling the car here," he said.
Nitol has sales centers across the country, but they only serve Tata trucks and buses, whose parts and spares are different from Nano's.
Auto experts have said some 50,000 of the four-door Nanos are likely to be sold in India in the first year because of limited production capacity -- a fraction of the company's original planned target.
The Nano now is being rolled out from two existing Tata manufacturing plants plants but the sales could jump in the second year to 150,000 cars, as production ramps up at its exclusive Nano plant in Gujarat.
The emerging middle class in Bangladesh may have to wait two-three years to drive the world's cheapest car as its makers Tata at the moment is not interested to market Nano outside India.
The Rs100,000 car will be launched by Tata Motors in Mumbai today, ushering in a new era in auto business and igniting hopes for millions of people who have never dreamt of sitting behind wheels.
But Nitol Motors, Tata's sales agent across the border, said Sunday Bangladeshis will have to wait at least until 2011 to have a chance to drive the jelly-bean shaped car.
"Nitol chairman has gone to Mumbai to attend Nano's historic inauguration. He is obviously talk about Nano's import to Bangladesh," Abdul Mannan Ahmad, executive director of Nitol Motors, said.
Ahmad said the Nano could be priced between Tk200,000 and Tk300,000 in Bangladesh market depending on the tax rates and the rupees' strength against Taka.
That price tag would make it the cheapest new car by miles in Bangladesh, with company chairman Ratan Tata predicting that mid-income people in the subcontinent who drive bikes would now switch to four-door Nano.
Ahmad, however, is skeptical whether Nano would blaze through Bangladesh market.
"Very often price is not the only determining factor for the popularity of a car in a market. In Vietnam people love bikes, most Pakistanis drive Mazda and in Bangladesh Toyota is the most sought-after car despite it's pricey," he said.
"Bangladeshis have different taste and preference as far as car ownership is concerned. Some of them save for years to buy a second-hand Toyota," he said.
Nitol Motors sells some 2500 Tata's trucks and buses in Bangladesh a year and it also sold a few thousands Tata taxi-cabs some eight years back.
Ahmad said Nitol would conduct a study on Nano's viability in Bangladesh market before it orders the car's import in the country.
"A study would be essential because we don't know the market dynamics for such type of car," he said, adding despite it's relatively cheap Maruti could not win Bangladeshis' hearts.
"In all likelyhood, we can see a niche market for Nano in Bangladesh. But we have to have a number of sales and service centers before we start selling the car here," he said.
Nitol has sales centers across the country, but they only serve Tata trucks and buses, whose parts and spares are different from Nano's.
Auto experts have said some 50,000 of the four-door Nanos are likely to be sold in India in the first year because of limited production capacity -- a fraction of the company's original planned target.
The Nano now is being rolled out from two existing Tata manufacturing plants plants but the sales could jump in the second year to 150,000 cars, as production ramps up at its exclusive Nano plant in Gujarat.