[petroguzzler]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

In other words, bike with a roof and AC.

You just spoke my mind. Just what i meant.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by petroguzzler

Think about this: How would a 2 seater NANO be?

Why can't manufacturers provide cheap 2 seater versions of their popular cars. As many cars rarely travel with more than 2 on board. I drive to work single everyday. Wouldn't this make sense?

I agree with you. 2 seater car with very small luggage (just enough to carry briefcase/laptop) space , just for commuting to work will make sense.
I fact I have been thinking (concept) about such vehicle and if there are sponsors, might take the idea further

[rahul18348]

buy a tata magic & fit an ac inside it. cheap & effective solution.

[GTO]

Agreed. Most cars on the road have only 1 person onboard anyways.

However, we have to understand that a car - in a typical Indian household - plays a multi-functional role. Driving the owner to work, dropping the kids off at school, weekend recreation, outstation trips, airport runs and so on. Car ownership, by itself, has a miniscule penetration level in our country (IIRC, 30 - 40 for every 1,000 citizens). Not to mention, our market isn't quite ready for such a limited-purpose vehicle yet. It will bomb. Royally!

[simplyself]

Besides safety aspect, another factor is overall feel. The most apparent aspect is the way a door is sprung and the sound of it when shut.

[Tech]

Well here's Tango. Looks a bit strange but it is a 2 seater.... Nano's little sister.
Google it - tango car - Google Search




http://electricnick.com/wp-content/u...ango_front.jpg



http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/Tango_T600.jpg

[hrishig]

Ha Ha . I have a wonderful Idea.


Well we should have Bat mobile / or a car present in one of the jackie chan movie. So the on highways you drive full four wheeler car. When entering a city press a button and you will have two wheeler coming out of the same car , other part remains as non moving part.

Similar concept is heavily used in star wars but for small ships. When on the planet, the ships are powered with small engines , while entering into outer space, to achieve light speeds ships gets themselves attached in to a ring ( Which has 2 powerful engines)

[deadman]

Originally Posted by GTO

Agreed. Most cars on the road have only 1 person onboard anyways.

Most of the time i drive with 1-2 person, i even prefer 2 seater car. Advantages may be better FE, Less Ownership cost, easy to drive in city, unique look. I heard about Skoda Joyster, VW UP. It may come with 2 seater. Or how about Indian version of Honda Brio with 2 seater version

[ajay0612]

Two seater car having robust build, high ground clearance, ample luggage space in a small sized package and price definitely has potential to succeed.
Piaggio NT3 seems good.
Piaggio NT3 Concept to take on Tata Nano | Car Advice | Reviews

[deep_bang]

well, definitely, one thing is for sure. No one would like to buy a budget 2 seater car as their first car. So, it is most likely that it is going to be their second car.

Atleast for me, when we bought our second car, we knew for sure that it will be only used by 1 or 2 people max. And yet, we did not have any 2 seater options. For me the priority was low investment and low operation costs. If this could have been achieved it would have been a great thing. Nano almost addresses this market - but is positioned as a cheap car.

So, i think there is a market for a 2 seater, but it has to be a premium 2 seater first. Once it gains popularity, similar budget variants can be built, and this also will appeal to the budget customers too.

[thedreamcatcher]

It is all about practicality. And in a market like India, people want MORE for less.

A seater car also aint gonna come cheap and appeal to the masses. Unless you are talking of a knockdown verison. Who says FE will increase just because it is a 2 seater, unless they shrink the engine, change the whole platform etc (read costly!!)

Hence, this aint gonna work here.

San Storm ring a bell??? We know how that went

[shankar.balan]

I think in India a car is still viewed from a pure utility + versatility perspective - and we do have larger numbers of people to transport around. We are still to evolve to a situation where we will start placing value on 2 seaters and cabriolets and 'wind in your hair motoring" and where we start viewing a vehicle from a "leisure activity" point of view as against an "utilitarian" point of view.

Plus cars are expensive things and there is no appreciable difference in pricing between a 2 seater and a 4-5 seater. - the Reva costs about 4.3 lacs on road - one can get a 5 seater maruti at that price.

the failed San Storm costs nearly 6-6.5 lacs on road - one can get a number of cars at that price and all of them far better engineered and far better supported in terms of service network etc.

Even if the Smart were to be launched in India it would probably be sitting at a price which most people would not wish to expend, for a vehicle of its type. They would mostly prefer to go for something where they get greater bang for their buck, in terms of size and space, whether they actually need it or not. Because of the off chance factor - "you never know when the family will descend on us and when we will need to ferry x,y and z plus luggage to the station or airport."

[Gansan]

Has anybody thought of a pimped auto as a runabout? It is nothing but a scooter with three wheels, with good mileage and inexpensive maintenance to boot. Can seat four easily. Fitting doors, music system and may be even a lightweight hardtop will not be a problem! May be in a quadricycle form, if three wheels are passe!

I remember vaguely an attempt from Bajaj Auto and Coca-Cola in the late nineties. A pimped-up auto and Mahidra Jeep were the second and first prizes for some competition.

[shankar.balan]

in the 80's and 90's there were a number of people (predominantly of the trading community/ fraternity) in areas of Chennai like Sowcarpet and Parrys and Evening Bazaar and Periamet and Kellys etc, who used Autos for their personal transportation. Those used to have doors fitted in them and in my memory in 1986 I remember seeing one that even had a small portable 14 inch TV sitting in it.

Originally Posted by Gansan

Has anybody thought of a pimped auto as a runabout?

[Gansan]

^^ I remember them too, but they were anything but cool. Today's technology can really make them appear chic and cool!