When you’re buying a car in Dubai, undoubtedly price pays a major role in the decision process. So does marketing. Most car makers make cars with a niche in mind and create cars which will leave a mark on the car buyers. One such car, the Tata Nano was launched in 2009 and was a dream come true for Ratan Tata, the owner of Tata Motors.
Launch of Tata Nano
The idea behind the creation of this car was to cater to the mass population who couldn’t afford a car in India. Aware of the massive population of India, underdeveloped infrastructure and women with saris carrying babies on motorcycles, Ratan Tata had the vision to design a car that will cater to people who cannot afford a car and would be known as the People’s car.
Tata Nano and its Marketing Strategy
Tata Nano is a tiny car but that isn’t the cheapest component of the car. Its thrifty engineering, economical design, and the cheap labour also contributed to the low cost of the vehicle. After its launch, it was marketed as a ‘one lac rupee’ car and Tata motors was pretty proud of its innovation.
Though, it was made in good spirit but in this era of brand and image conscious buyers, the marketing approach did not fit well. It began to be perceived as a low quality car instead of a car for the two-wheelers and lost its aspirational value. The label of Nano being a ‘cheap car’ did not work well with the urban youth which is now more concerned with prestige.
It would have been a better option if it was marketed as a car for those who use two-wheelers which was later realized by Tata Motors. Also, safety concerns arose for the car when there were reported incidents of the car catching fire. We wonder if it had launched in Dubai, could it have become the most popular car. Seems unlikely.
Decline of Tata Nano
Nano couldn’t keep up with its one lac price tag and had to increase the price especially when advancements to the car were being made. Moreover, many Nano cars were pre-ordered and the supply could not be met which added fuel to the fire. Apart from the poor product positioning, many political concerns arose as well leading to the unpopular image on Tata Nano. All of this led to negative publicity and ultimately decline in the sales for the car.
Now, Tata motors is still struggling to make the car better and change its image to ‘the most affordable car’ which might or might not work out. Additionally, drastic measures regarding pricing, marketing and brand image may help Nano become successful but up till now the chances of its success seem thin. This inexpensive car might not be available in Dubai but if you’re looking to buy car, Dubai, CarSwitch.com com has a variety of cars available which you can check out!
