samarth, what is performance for you? nano would never be called a performance car but R15 IS a performance super sports. why it is so? the reason is self explained.

Care to know what nano DOESN'T have IN SPITE of being a car? to start with the basic model has just 3 nuts in the rim which bolts the tyre, as a part of cost cutting. It doesn't have an AC, power window, matching colour bumpers, no boot/luggage space, no power steering, no airbags, the front seat is rigidly placed on the floor which can not be adjusted according to passenger's need. all this and its still called a "car". I am not disapproving nano. its one car only an Indian or Chinese could think of and have it.

now, let us put what r15 DOESN'T have as a bike? shall we? errrrr.... i dont think there is any

Get a Nano, Get a Comet..

Nano engine + Comet Frame = 600 cc bike !!!!!!

Top speed of R15 is 148(saw in youtube). So we can drive whole day at that speed(suppose we have roads). Superior Technology. But for Nano top speed is around 100. So we wont be able to drive even for 1 hour continuosly at the speed of 100.
Is that u mean?

N we have small n compact radios even from Philips which cost around 500-700. So almost the cost of mobile.

I just got confused.....

N y the cos. not giving high capacity bikes? That is the concern not the price. Every co. selling old wines. So y not higher cc.

Level of technology, compare it with a modern car, Its NOTHING! and defenitely old age tech.

Yes engine matters a LOT..! drive a Honda city vtech or fiat palio 1.6 and then Nano, you will understand the difference.

No only the engine is differnt, so is ride handling, target segment, market of the bikes are different, so is the price.


If we are dicussing over performance then Nano doesnt stand any chance, it is not made for performance enthusiasts, it has entirely different consumer segment.

That can be done Comet's chasis was designed for bigger 650cc comet which is used in the 250cc Comet. And may be it will cost equal to the 250 Comet.

This thread itself explains why bike manufacturers aren't interested to mass produce higher end bikes. Consumers' mind set hasn't matured enough for those ultimate performance machines.

Ditto. The fact that some folks expect free lunches amuses me.

Please tell me what are the "precision engineered" components you keep talking about. You are making it sound as if technology used in the Nano is somewhat below the level of cars and can only be found in agricultural vehicles like tractors. Nano after all is at par with M800 in terms of technology used.

Here both the vehicles are being compared on the basis of technology/price.

IMO what the OP asks is that if Tata can over so much technology at such a low price why not our bike manufacturers? Why do they insists on selling 20yrs old 100cc bikes at such premiums or charge extra for a paltry 20cc upgrade or refuse to develop and sell a higher cc bike at a affordable price point?

Higher end bikes for masses ..... You mean a middle class person having Audi or BMW or Merc at his garage..... Wow love to see that thing.....

Again, we are heading the way- our masses are incapable/immature to handle these bikes. Look, if you watch Whacked Out Sports and other similar stuff on AXN you'll know there is no dearth of immature idiots abroad. They do stupidity on litre class bikes with devastating consequences. Yet bikes do sell there. So a reasoning that such bikes should not come cheap because posers will grab them is wrong. Just to keep posers at bay why should we sacrifice 13 lacs and get a powerful bike, fulfil our own passion and burh holes in our pockets? (I'm talking from a middle class point of view). Agreed 13 lac bikes do see fewer posers than lets say a decent 400cc twin at 3 lacs. But why should we sacrifice? What are traffic police for?

Agreed here too. TATA made this small car for the masses. Neither does it boast of 0-100kmph in 3 seconds flat nor streamlined aerodynamics. They've made a simple car for the masses at a relatively reachable price. I did see the the TV episode you are talking about, where the MOCHI saved up for this car, and soon he will be a proud owner.

Now, I never meant this will be a 'sportbike for the masses'. Its not! Its a niche segment. People who would choose a 3 lac 400-500cc bike over 3 NANOs, one for each family member. People who want a powerful bike, who want a sportbike thats affordable than the steep CBUs. Affordable power. Simple. Posers, well, we cant help. Only try to educate as many posers as we know. Once one cracks his head on a curb, he learns the hard way does'nt he?

@ Synn- Agreed. We cant figuratively ot statistically compare a 625cc car engine at 1.3 lacs vs a 400cc bike engine at 2 or 3 lacs. But the point is the total amount of matter going into making the NANO, and the total amount of matter going into making a 400cc, twin cylinder, liquid cooled, Fi bike will be hell and heaven apart. So if TATA can manage a car at 1.20lacs (which is at par with the Maruti 800 in terms of tech) why cant a motorcycle manufacturer manage a 300-400cc twin cylinder bike if not at 1 lac, at 3 lacs like Samarth said. 3 lacs for a 400cc twin is digestable. I would be able to afford that. It would not be a sportbike designed to capture the masses. it would be a sportbike, a nice segment in India, nevertheless, but an alternative to middle class passionate 'bikers' who dream to get the costly CBUs.

@ Synn and others: I may be wrong but I dont think that Nano in any case will have the Engineered parts made on any Cheap Lathe machine where in R15 on CNC....also, the body parts and other things made by Pappu, the black smith.
Agreed that Nano is not a competition to Audi or BMW or Even Spark, but what I basically wanted to know is......
1. If a 600 cc vehicle, that has a roof, a windshield, a wiper, two head lamps, a decent starter, few seats, set of five wheels, decent electricals and two Plastic bumpers, not to mention few other tings like Manual windows, a radiator to keep the engine cool, a suspension that has atleast two shock absorbers...and the entire package coming at a price of around 1.5 lac...cant we have a two cylinder....some what 400cc...35+ bhp, liquid/air cooled, One headlight, one saddle, one tail light two wheels, decent electricals, front and rear disc brakes..NO GPS, NO A/C, NO AIR BAGS along with a horn, a meter, a fuel tank etc coming at 1.5 lac.

Oh Come on, if you say its not possible than I would simply say..... Its not a Skill Issue, its a will issue...
Why would any Bajaj,Honda,Tvs spend some money on R& D for such a vehicle when the lame 100cc are still selling like hot cake and getting them enough Money....Mate...its all a MONEY GAME. Nano was conceived NOT because it was supposed to make Ratan Tata any rich by some more Thousand millions, it was created to be a bench mark/revolution in the vehicle segment, so that people remember Tata even after some 296 years. Two wheelers on the other hand are made because for sure, Bajaj, Honda, Suzuki etc. are not donating 50% of their earning to some CRY or Helpage India.....its simply a Business to make Money...SIMPLE.

in a Nutshell, I would say, we are being overcharged for a 100-150 cc two wheeler, Nano on the other hand is made to give a Cage to two wheeler riders.

You are again missing the obvious. The Nano, even when sold at meagre profit margins would recoup in the long term thanks to the number of vehicles sold. Just how many 1.5lakh motorcycles do you think will sell in similar numbers?

Exactly the point!

The whole line of discussion is missing one important factor here. That the Nano is priced at this level, BECAUSE and ONLY BECAUSE Tata went shopping with a specific list of demands and sops.. Tax free status, virtually interest free loans etc. The cost of the Nano would be substantially higher if Tata had to shell out the usual capital expansion cost that any normal company would have to pay in a typically industrialised state.

Do you think if Tata had not got these terms anywhere, or if even all the governments approached to base the plant in their states, refused to provide the sops, the Nano would be priced at 1.xx lakhs?

So the 1 lakh car isn't one lakh. It is hugely subsidised by the taxpayer, you and me included. Tata has pulled off an economic and strategic coup here.

Right Said... but aint you missing on the fact that HH Cd 100 or Dawn must have out numered any other two wheeler on Indian Roads... So what exactly is the reason that we have a manufacturer selling a (SUBSTANDARD,if you may call it) Car for 1.5 lac and a SUPERSPORT Ultimate Battle machine, capable of going 0-100in 0.3 sec, crash protector, gps enabled, computer assisted, self diagnose and absolutely maintenance free Two wheelers for the price near that???
Mate.....
It simply is a Money Game, Tata wants to make Name, Others want to make Money...and they all are getting what they want.
and take my words for it, if we ever get any Tata for a two wheeler, I would spend more time Touring then to Debate on the internet.
P.S: Mr.Ratan Tata...I hope you have an excess to the internet and I hope Two Wheeler is your next venture...