How about a 3-wheel drive Nano?

The article One for the common man was published in The Hindu on October 6, 2009. If you don't feel like going through the entire article, here is the summary - author feels Nano is a great car and it is just like when the first 800 was launched in India. It's an article I completely disagree with as I don't think there is anything that exciting about Nano as has been hyped, for multiple reasons:

1. It's not really 1-lac. If you want something that can be called a car and not a metal box, you need to pay much more.

2. It's looks silly with its diminutive design and 12-inch wheels.

3. In this age of iCrap when 2-lacs isn't really much money, its pointless, infact harmful, to create a Nano. It's better to invest in building a 1-lac Harley Davidson than a Nano.

Anyway, coming back to the article, here are a few statements that I just have to comment on.

"it’s a rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive car... if you want the tail to step out, you will be disappointed" - Ofcourse! It's not Porsche Nano, it's TATA NANO.

"you have to wait nearly half-a-minute to see 100kph on the speedo" - Nano reaches 100kmph :O

"The Nano can seat five people comfortably... The 800 just about squeezes in four" - Really? My eyes must be deceiving me. And for the record, 800 seats 5 comfortably. But if you are an Indian, you definitely would know that even 6 people can be squeezed into an 800. Infact, I'm sure in the near future you would see 6 in the Nano too (only if the Nano is able to pull them, ofcourse).

"What’s more is that men in their Audis will stop to check out a car that costs a little more than two Audi side mirrors" - They must have stopped just to check that they don't kill the poor little puppy. If at all they were interested in the Nano, such Audi customers should be sued and shot to death.

"The Nano is the new status symbol" - Please, I can't stand it any more.

"The M800’s 796cc engine develops 39bhp. The Nano is not far off — the 624cc engine developing 35bhp" - What are we comparing here? A bullock-cart to an older bullock-cart?

"Why does the Nano catch more eyeballs per km than even the Ferraris did on their Magic Tour of India?" - It's because of idiots like him (and me).

Honestly, it is definitely worth more buying 3 bikes in lieu of the Nano. You would have a 150cc x 3 front-engined, rear wheel drive vehicle(s) with a collective power of 13.3 x 3 bhp (you beat the 800, yay!) and can also seat 6 comfortably (one more than the 800!). What more, you could go for a drive on 2-wheels, 4-wheels or even 6-wheels - a luxury even BMW doesn't offer yet. Added to all this, you also get greater resale value and it would be WAY MORE FUN.