Car fire raises safety concerns for Tata Motors

yahoo ^ | Thu Mar 25, 3:51 pm ET | ERIKA KINETZ,

[Touch Not the Cat]

When it was launched less than a year ago, the $2,500 Tata Nano was promoted as a safe, ultra-cheap car for poor Indians, an alternative to the motorbikes that zoom precariously around the country.

New questions about the safety of the pint-sized auto are being raised, however, after one of them burst into flames Sunday as it was being driven home from the showroom.

Software engineer Satish Sawant, his wife and 5-year-old son escaped from the silver Tata Nano — which still bore a celebratory garland of marigolds on the front hood — before the tiny car was engulfed by fire.

A chauffeur initially was at the wheel, but Sawant said he had taken over driving before the fire broke out. Tata has offered Sawant a replacement Nano or a refund.

"My wife now doesn't want to buy any car," Sawant said by phone from his home in northern Mumbai on Thursday. "She doesn't even want to go for a Mercedes."

His ordeal showed just the latest problem with the low-cost Nano as Tata Motors sets its sights on global expansion and aims to ramp up production of the car with a new factory next month.

[Touch Not the Cat]

"A brand new silver Tata Nano, heralded as the world's cheapest car, stands in flames on the suburbs of Mumbai, India, Sunday, March 21, 2010. The car belonging to Satish Sawant, a software engineer, burst into flames as he was proudly driving it home from the showroom, draped with a celebratory garland of marigolds. Sawant managed to get his wife and five-year-old son out of the back seat before the smoke billowing from the rear engine turned into flames that engulfed the tiny car."

[ironwill]

Oh, that Tata was on fire! I thought it was something along these lines:

[taillightchaser]

Ban all marigolds—they cause fires.

[Touch Not the Cat]

.
YIKES!

[ReneeLynn]

“A chauffeur initially was at the wheel, but Sawant said he had taken over driving before the fire broke out. Tata has offered Sawant a replacement Nano or a refund.”

A chauffer? For that thing? Where’d they put the kid, on the hood? Tata taters.

[Nik Naym]

Even those smoking hot tatas can’t hide the fact that she is.... well.... unattractive. (Is it a she?)

[Nik Naym]

His five year old was also in car....

A tot in a hot Tata.

[SouthTexas]

And Toyota thinks they have problems!

[Noumenon]

They should change their name to Ronson Motors...

[Mike Darancette]

Coming to a road near you.

[UCANSEE2]

A chauffer? For that thing? Where’d they put the kid, on the hood? Tata taters.

Does that make the kid a Tater Tot?

[COBOL2Java]

I hate when that happens...

[tubebender]

Does that make the kid a Tater Tot? U.... To your room!

[grey_whiskers]

Waiting for the "Patel Squad" to cheer on the infallible superiority of India over the West in 3...2...1...

Cheers!

[grey_whiskers]

Like, *PING*, dudes!

Bodacious TATAs.

What does a car fire do to the carbon footprint, anyway?

Cheers!

[Little Pig]

Many people in India hire drivers, as driving in India is challenging, and they don’t want to deal with the insane traffic.

[Tainan]

...paging Apu...paging Apu...Will Apu please pick up the white courtesy phone?...

[The Antiyuppie]

I think it also has to do with insurance, if you have money at all, you hire a driver who has nothing - a driver in a driver/pedestrian accident is always, automatically at fault.

[The Antiyuppie]

I forgot the obligatory “hot-selling car” comment...

[greatplains]

Who - or what - the H is that, anyway??