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  • April 2010 (Revised March 2011)
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Tata Nano The People's Car

By: Krishna G. Palepu, Bharat N. Anand and Rachna Tahilyani
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:24
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Abstract

The case explores how Tata Motors, India's largest automobile company, developed the Nano, the world's cheapest car. The case focuses on the translation of Ratan Tata's (chairman of Tata Motors) vision of a safe affordable car for the masses by Ravi Kant, managing director of Tata Motors into the Nano Project. The case raises questions around breaking the price-quality barrier and changing existing internal processes to accommodate revolutionary new ideas. The dilemma of success—Tata Nano was a runaway bestseller—left Tata Motors debating how large a bet they should make on the Nano and what kind of capacity commitment this requires.

Keywords

Price; Globalized Firms and Management; Disruptive Innovation; Emerging Markets; Business Processes; Quality; Competition; Auto Industry; Manufacturing Industry; India

Citation

Palepu, Krishna G., Bharat N. Anand, and Rachna Tahilyani. "Tata Nano The People's Car." Harvard Business School Case 710-420, April 2010. (Revised March 2011.)
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About The Authors

Krishna G. Palepu

Accounting and Management
→More Publications

Bharat N. Anand

Strategy
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • January 2023 (Revised March 2023)
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    Bajaj Finance: Building an Omnipresent Financial Services Firm

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More from the Authors
  • Digital Transformation at Tata Steel By: Krishna Palepu, Das Narayandas and Radhika Kak
  • Velong: Rethinking 'Made in China' By: Krishna G. Palepu, Nancy Hua Dai and Billy Chan
  • Bajaj Finance: Building an Omnipresent Financial Services Firm By: Das Narayandas and Rachna Tahilyani
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