The Nano Inspiration

Rob Katz — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:07:35 -0500

January 13, 2008 - 13:00, LiveMint

Story Link: http://www.livemint.com/2008/01/13230347/The-Nano-inspiration.html

Teaser:
The lessons of design innovation, scale efficiency, vendor networking can help in hundreds of challenges

By Ramesh Ramanathan

I am inspired by the story of the Tata Nano. Beyond its cute look or frugal engineering-driven price tag, I find it remarkable how team Tata pulled it off in just four years.

But the larger point is the inspirational lamp that the Tata Nano story lights.

The lessons of design innovation, scale efficiency, vendor networking can help in hundreds of challenges

By Ramesh Ramanathan

I am inspired by the story of the Tata Nano. Beyond its cute look or frugal engineering-driven price tag, I find it remarkable how team Tata pulled it off in just four years.

I’ve watched and read the rumblings —on congestion, traffic, the environment. Confession: I own a car. This makes it hard for me to criticize the Tata Nano: people-in-glass-houses constraint. There is an Indian equivalent of this—the “unreserved compartment syndrome.” All those inside the compartment do everything to keep outsiders at bay; but once someone gets in—bravely beating the odds—he becomes an insider, repeating the same behaviour, so nothing changes. We need to understand the sentiments of the outsiders—how many people who don’t own cars criticize the Tata Nano on the grounds of traffic congestion and environmental concerns.

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The Nano Inspiration