Tata Nano: People's Car finally to be launched on 23rd March

Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, will be launched at a function in Mumbai on 23rd March 2009. After a series of hiccups starting from quashing of the ideation by industry experts to the Singur protests; Nano has been in the eye of the storm.
In spite of many security and emission concerns, Nano is being projected as a comfortable, safe, all-weather car, high on fuel efficiency and low on emission, on its official website: www.tatanano.com
It will be interesting to note the flurry its launch will create, since it has been priced in a segment midway between a bike and Maruti-800, the lowest priced car on Indian roads till now.
There have been interesting demands from customers too, the most notable being allowing online payment and purchase of Nano. Prospective customers have expressed their desire to book this sweet-sensation on the internet, over and over again here. But, as of now State Bank of India will be the sole booking agent for Nano. So, I guess we have to wait a little longer to buy a car online, just as we buy a book, laptop or mobile.
On the other part of the globe, giant companies like GM, Ford and Chrysler LLC are on the verge of bankruptcy. They have already taken huge financial aid from the US Govt. More about it in the next post.
As of now, all eyes are set on the Nano launch. Will this little wonder pull the sale of cars out of its recent slump, remains an important question. The adjoining graph from SIAM showing the trend of Automobile production in India in the last one year, clearly hints at the hit this industry has taken in the wake of the worldwide economic slump.
The sales of passenger vehicles in India has followed a similar trend. But, the optimism lies in the recovery it has made in January, breaking a downward streak of more than one quarter.