TATA Nano is set to be rolled out on Tata Motors chairman's 71st birthday on Dec 28, after having missed its planned commercial debut earlier this month.
Press reports say that the timing would give a nice human touch to the beleaguered vehicle, which was driven out of West Bengal amidst much kerfuffle but was warmly welcomed by Gujarat.
Nano, the 100,000-rupee (S$3,028) 623-cc beetle-shaped car, is chairman Ratan Tata's pet project and he fondly refers to it as the 'people's car'.
Interestingly, the Tata conglomerate's first ever car - Tata Indica - also made its commercial debut on Mr Tata's 61st birthday a decade ago.
It may be recalled that Nano had filled global headlines in August when Tata, India's largest carmaker, had threatened to pull its US$350 million project out of Singur in the eastern state of West Bengal, due to protracted political agitation by state opposition leader and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.
Due to Ms Banerjee's obstructive politics, Nano encountered one roadblock after another before the exasperated Tatas resolved to relocate their ambitious project from the tension-fraught Singur to Gujarat.
In Gujarat, Chief Minister Narendra Modi - known for his investor-friendly mien - accorded an effusive welcome to Ratan Tata. Almost overnight, land was made available and official clearance given in record time for a quick Nano rollout.
In fact, Gujarat had proffered not one but three sites for setting up the Nano plant - Mundra in Kutch district, Sanand in Ahmedabad district and an unnamed location in Surat district.
The Tatas plumped for Sanand due to its proximity to the state capital of Ahmedabad and the National Highway.
Mr Modi's attitude towards the Tatas was widely appreciated by the Indian business community. As a bonus, it also helped him score big brownie points for future investments from other industrial houses.
Already, speculation is rife that many big industrialists are in talks with Mr Modi to launch their prize projects in his state.
However, it was not easy for Mr Modi to win Tata's bid for relocation. The conglomerate was wooed by other states as well. However, what tilted the scales in Gujarat's favour was the alacrity of the state government.
Praising Mr Modi for the speedy allocation of about 0.4 of a hectare of centrally located land at a joint press conference last week, Tata said that the company was driven by the reputation of the state.
According to Tata, the site in Gujarat will help the company establish a new dedicated mother plant with the shortest possible time lag and least possible increment project cost.
This article was first published in The Business Times on Oct 16, 2008.
