Is the Hyundai i10 the Car the Tata Nano Should Be?

Tata Motor Co. has recently been in the headlines more often than manufacturers 10 times its size with the introduction of the $2500 Nano, as well as with its purchasing of Jaguar and Land Rover. But is the Nano really the car that can best serve the people of India, or any developing nation for that matter?
As a fully realized, modern automobile, the Nano is severely lacking. For one, it lacks most modern safety equipment and has its engine slung out the rear, no doubt wreaking havoc on its handling characteristics. One can only conjecture on this last point as Tata has wisely held off on letting journalists drive the new “people’s car.”

Even though it does cost roughly twice the amount of money, the recently released Hyundai i10 represents everything the Nano should have been. It is small, yet manages to comfortably seat four adults and a child. The engines are fuel efficient and Hyundai did not try and reinvent the wheel by slinging the engine out back.

Add to this the fact that the i10 comes with six airbags, available anti lock brakes and most likely the concept of crumple zones and you have a well packaged small car. While the Hyundai does cost more, every model features air conditioning and power windows. A Nano so equipped just might very well be precipitously close to the i10’s price range.

So while the Nano represents a fine alternative to a Moped, the i10 would make so much more sense as the vehicle to which the modern Indian family could aspire. There’s so no doubt that, somewhere in Bangalore or Mumbai, a local auto magazine editor is planning a comparison test between the Nano and i10.

Our take? Let’s just hope national pride in the new Nano doesn’t cloud the company’s judgment.