Nano's the new Mega

I am elated to see the Tato Nano making waves. That it found a mention in the NY Times blog was itself surprising. 

They have received more than 200,000 orders within two weeks and what's more - only 20% pf the bookings are for the famous '$2000 car'! The Indian consumer now seems to exercise a lot of choices. And it is a sure sign of the new India.

The NYT article mentions that about 50% bookings are for the 'high-end' $3300 model. BUT here's the cherry:

The number of bookings is more than double what Tata is capable of building in the car’s initial production run. The first 100,000 owners will be selected through a lottery. Tata expected to start delivery of the Nano in July.

People's car. Indeed. 

It is so heartening to see such a market response in India. On the one hand, you have the Chrysler - rather, had the Chrysler -bankrupt and left with their wounds to lick. And on the other you have the Tata Nano, unable to match production with demand.

The lessons from this are three-fold:

• India has an amazing consumer base, hungry for innovations and willing to spend that extra buck for value-add. In the economists' words, the 'consumer confidence' is high.
• In spite of the worldwide hit to the Manufacturing industry, India could be the least hit because there still is such a big void to fill. Our automotive industry is still in its nascent stages of growth. Here's the take-home: Indian auto industry is still a virgin industry whereas in the west, it is a replacement market. 
• On a slightly tangential note, politicians (read Mamta Bannerjee and the likes) can - howsoever hard they try -only hinder growth, but not stop it. And this perhaps is the beauty of a democracy - what West Bengal lost, Gujarat (and perhaps rest of India) gained. I doubt if this could have been possible in China. 

Cheers to Nano, the new Mega.