Friendstar Supercharged January 9, 2008 Share January 9, 2008 MUMBAI: There was the $400 airplane seat that plummeted to $40. Then there was the $2,000 laptop reborn for $200. And now the $25,000 car has a $2,500 cousin. Every now and again in business history, a disruption comes along that breaks the conventional wisdom about cost, tweaking and paring features once thought untouchable. Likewise, the $2,500 car, scheduled for introduction Thursday by the Indian company Tata, swims against the current, with a rear-mounted engine, a trunk that fits little more than a briefcase, and plastics and adhesives replacing metal and bolts in certain nooks. (Some analysts expect the car to be priced closer to $3,000, still making it the cheapest on earth.) But the still-untold story of how the Tata car was built is less about big-bang innovations than about a long string of $20 trims: a steering-wheel shaft rendered hollow here, a small headlight leveler removed there, the use of an analog speedometer less accurate than its digital equivalent. The car is thus a triumph, not of one great invention but of a new engineering philosophy rising out of the developing world, with potential to change how cars everywhere are made, industry experts say. Just as Japan popularized kanban (just in time) and kaizen (continuous improvement), so Tata may export to the world what can perhaps be called "Gandhi engineering" - a mantra that combines irreverence toward established ways with a scarcity mentality that spurns superfluities. "It's basically throwing out everything the auto industry had thought about cost structures in the past and taking out a clean sheet of paper and asking, 'What's possible?' " said Daryl Rolley, the head of North American and Asian operations for Ariba, which provides parts for Tata and other auto makers like BMW and Toyota. "In the next 5 to 10 years, the whole auto industry is going to be flipped upside-down."; ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleWolve Clutched January 9, 2008 Share January 9, 2008 usesless piece of news... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friendstar Supercharged January 9, 2008 Author Share January 9, 2008 (edited) Better than a useless piece of s.hit... Edited January 9, 2008 by Friendstar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcff_1980 Neutral Newbie January 9, 2008 Share January 9, 2008 at least it might make owners of chery/ geely/ kia feel their car is not that bad after all Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zanter 3rd Gear January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 I think it should be better than a Bullock cart & its would smell a heck a lot better? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahbengdriver 6th Gear January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 I heard used oil(after frying roti prata) can be used as fuel on this car. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleWolve Clutched January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 yes that is correct ... the bottom oil can be used as hair wax and colonge Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahbengdriver 6th Gear January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 apparently they also have a funnel to collect rainwater which runs the radiator. very eco friendly Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zanter 3rd Gear January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 Ur wrong liew, it can run on the balance coconut oil left on the pillow every nite. At least 30km per pillow per nite Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zanter 3rd Gear January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 I'd happily buy this car if it has a toilet seat, which i go in & dump everyday & converts my sh1t to biofuel which can power me to & from work everyday! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mean76 1st Gear January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 (edited) The picture of the car!!!!!! car.bmp Edited January 10, 2008 by Mean76 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmi Clutched January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 Good pic. Actually, just think what this car is going to do. India does not have a viable alternative in public transport in many of its big cities. (i.e. no MRT, light rail, efficient bus system, etc.) Now, these cars are so affordable that many middle class Indians who used to ride motorbikes will now buy cars. I envision jams of monumental proportions. This is a case of private enterprise zooming ahead of government capability. All the best to India. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highwaycode Neutral Newbie January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 India Unveils World's Cheapest Car By Alex Crawford Asia Correspondent Updated:17:44, Wednesday January 09, 2008 India is launching what is being billed as the world's cheapest car. A snip at Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highwaycode Neutral Newbie January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutty 4th Gear January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 What is the NCAP ratings of this ride. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahbengdriver 6th Gear January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 I also heard it comes without seat, so u can customise yr own. put yr used sofa, garden plastic chair, or discarded Recaros or even hammock inside Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahbengdriver 6th Gear January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 did they take the tyres from Tamiya remote controlled cars? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanderer Clutched January 10, 2008 Share January 10, 2008 and plastics and adhesives replacing metal and bolts in certain nooks. Come heavy rain and strong winds, will the car fall apart? It's a kite! It's a bird! Hey wait......... It's a CAR!!!! ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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