The cheapest car: a boon or a bane ?

As Tata looks to setup a plant for its much talked about ‘1 lakh car’, I can’t help but wonder, do we really need a car as cheap as that ?

The actual viability of the minicar is not actually my concern at the moment as it is not to come out before 2008. What I’m really concerned about, is that can the burgeoning population and the already traffic-clogged cities accommodate a car which will be in the reach of virtually anybody.

Let’s just take Delhi as an example. The capital’s daily car sales are more than all the other metros combined. Now that is an impressive statistic. But an accompanying footnote which is always there and is always overlooked is that fact that the city’s roads are not being able to handle this impressive statistic. My fear is, that if Tata actually comes out with the minicar, and if it actually sells well, our country’s infrastructure might just burst out of over-congestion.

What worries is that all those people who travel on two-wheelers, who travel in buses or by the metro may actually be able to buy and afford that car with easy financing schemes available. For a city that’s trying to shut down shops for re-claiming parking space as one of the reasons, that could spell disaster.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not against people moving up in society or towards development. I’m all for it! But it’s just that I believe, that for the benefit of the society, there should be a minimum threshold which cars should not stoop below. There should be a minimum threshold which people have to cross in order to move into a next group/ class. The minicar threatens to narrow it down to an irrelevant figure. Imagine all those reckless two-wheeler riders suddenly driving a four-wheeler. Imagine all those two-wheeler parking lots trying to fit in a similar number of minicars. Imagine the additional pollution caused and additional fuel spent by them. It’s not that pretty a picture.

Plus, I don’t believe a car produced that cheaply would be providing safety to the passengers even matching that of a Maruti 800. Moreover, with Mr. Tata himself reckoning that it’ll meet all Indian (note not international) environment and safety standards, the resolve seems weaker. Why can’t they try to create more eco-friendly cars or safer cars instead of finding more ways to produce little pollutants cheaply?

Ofcouse in the end the biggest question that remains is who will buy that car, if at all. That depends much upon the styling and the positioning of the vehicle. After all, Indians are pretty much status-conscious and many would not like to be seen driving a no-frills car which probably their clerk buys for his son as well.

Call me a traditionalist if you may, I like cars to be cars and bikes to be bikes. And I would prefer to spend a little extra money for a more safety and cleanliness rather than save money and compromise on them.