Moving the global middle class
Monday, June 8, 2009 at 2:16AM AUTOS: "What the Nano Means to India: Tata's new care, the world's cheapest, is set to change the lives of the nation's middle class," by Mehul Srivastava, BusinessWeek, 11 May 2009.
Tata has way too many desirous customers than cars for now, so lotteries are conducted to determine who actually gets to buy a Nano this year.
People outside of India, we are told, have no idea what this breakthrough means for average people there: most were stuck for decades choosing between two crappy cars that cost too much or fourth-hand wrecks. Oh, and piling your family of seven on a motorcyle (something truly scary to watch).
No test drives for buyers, just for salesmen so they can understand how to pitch. After one got five-minutes behind the wheel, he was asked for his impression--as in, How did it make you feel?:
Amazing, like a rich man.
Think globalization is going away? Dream on.
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